Break Your Plans
by Linstead
Summary: After getting a job offer to lead her own task force for the Feds, Lindsay decides to take the job. Her friends and colleagues throw her a little going away party at Molly's. But Jay doesn't seem to be too happy about her leaving...
1. Care for a dance?

**Co-created by Mar & Sharon**

Tonight was the night she was going to say goodbye to her friends and colleagues. Not forever, of course. They would be part of her real family forever and she would never forget about them. But this had been an opportunity of a lifetime, one she couldn't slip through her fingers. She was going to be leading her own task force for the Feds. Who would've known?

Erin pushed her hands deeper into the pockets of her jacket and took a deep breath. Even though it wasn't even autumn yet, it was still cold at night in Chicago. Something she'd never get used to, probably. While she made her way to Molly's, she put on her happy face. This was a good thing, and she wanted this, right? Besides, it was only a temporary goodbye. _Keep telling yourself that, _ a little voice in the back of her head pitched in.

"It's true," she said to herself out loud, trying to silence that same little voice that tried to tell her that if she really left the city for that new job, she wouldn't be a part of the family anymore. Not really. No one was going to forget about her, everyone had made that loud and clear in the last couple of days. And she didn't even want to take the job if she didn't have Voight's blessing. But he'd told her to go for it, to dream big and do good in the world. He'd told her that she was ready for this, that she was destined to do great things. He believed in her with all his heart so why couldn't she be happy about it? He was right. This was the right choice, this was what she wanted.

Finally, she spotted Molly's across the street. Muffled music mixed with faint laughter greeted her, as she walked towards the bar. Her friends were inside. Her colleagues. The friends she made at Firehouse 51. It meant the world to her that they'd done this for her. She'd never asked for a going away party, but it was out of the question. Atwater had decided he was the right guy for the job and contacted Herrmann and Antonio's sister Gabriela, owners of Molly's, to make some arrangements. It wasn't a surprise, but that was a good thing. Erin hated surprises. And now she'd had the chance to prepare herself for this evening. She knew how to put on a happy face, how to avoid talking about her feelings. She just wanted to have a good time with the people she cared about before she opened another chapter in her life.

Without thinking, Erin pushed open the heavy wooden door to the bar. She knew she couldn't sneak in unnoticed and just have a nice, normal evening with her closest friends. Get a beer with Jay, have a laugh with Ruzek and hug Olinsky goodnight. The moment she pushed the door open, she'd be the center of attention.

"Hey, look who we have here!" an all too familiar voice called out across the bar, "if it isn't our guest of honor!"

Herrmann was standing behind the bar, a glass of beer raised high to let everyone know their special guest was finally here. Erin put a smile on her face, a bright smile that would let people know how thankful she was, even though it hurt as well.

"Let's raise a glass to Erin Lindsay, the newest , youngest and probably best looking task force leader the Feds have ever had! You go give 'em hell, girl. You deserve this. To Lindsay!"

"To Lindsay!" every voice in the room cried out at the same time and for a second she was overwhelmed. There she was, standing in the doorway of a bar, surrounded by all the people she held most dear in this world and they all supported her decision, even if it meant that they wouldn't see her anymore.

"Thanks, guys," she smiled, an honest smile this time. "But please, I want this to be a happy night so… drinks are on me!"

A loud cheer rose up again and everyone went back to their drinks, their laughter and their small talk.

Except for one person.

"Hey." Jay Halstead's bright blue eyes didn't join his beautiful lips in a smile. He tried to hide it, by closing the door behind her and offering to take her coat, but Erin saw it before he could look away.

"Hey."

Everyone supported her decision. Everyone was happy for her. Everyone was happy to be here on her going away party tonight. Everyone except one person. Everyone except Jay. And still, he was here, because that's what partners do.

She handed him her coat and he flung it over the top of the rack. "Don't worry, I'll get it for you before you leave," he promised. "Come on, let's go get you something to drink."

She followed him to the bar, where a couple of firefighters she'd actually never spoken to before made room for her and patted her on the back, laughing and congratulating her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, even though her 'thanks' was meant for Jay and not for the other men around her. She could really use a drink right now.

"What can I get you?" Gaby Dawson appeared in front of them, smiling as usual.

"Eh, I'll have a scotch," she decided. "One for me as well," Jay told Gaby.

Erin didn't say a word. At least not until she and Jay both had her drinks and Gaby was gone again, off to giving booze to other people. Booze she'd eventually had to pay for but that was something she'd worry about later.

"Are you mad at me for leaving?" she blurted out, eyeing Jay carefully as he took a sip of his scotch. Was he? She couldn't tell. The only thing she knew that he wasn't happy about the situation.

"Mad? How could I be mad at you, Erin?" he asked and put his glass down on the bar. He looked at her, straight at her, and she felt a shiver go down her spine. There was something between them, there always had been something and even though she'd tried to deny it and tried to bury her feelings for him, it didn't work. It was as if he was a magnet and she was made of iron.

"I don't know why, but you just… you haven't said a word about it to me, except for congratulations. I'd expected you to… I don't know. Have an opinion?"

"Would my opinion change your mind?"

Erin swallowed a gulp of her scotch and closed her eyes as the strong liquor burnt its way into her stomach. That felt good. She would need a lot more of those tonight. She looked at Jay again and shook her head a bit.

"That's not fair, Jay…"

"I know it isn't. But you leaving isn't either. I can't be the only one here who feels the chemistry between us? And that's not just because we're good as partners. There's something more here and you know it."

She sighed. He _was _right, even though she didn't want to admit it. It had been there all along. The tension between them, the flirtations, the bickering like an old married couple, how the way he looked at her with his beautiful blue eyes made her melt inside… She had feelings for him, there was no way in denying that now. But she was leaving the day after tomorrow to get training for her new job and there was no way in hell she could juggle that new job with a long distance relationship. She was not that kind of girl.

"Just give me one night to prove we're good together," he bargained, taking another sip from his scotch. "If you're still convinced you should take that job by the end of the night, I won't bother you anymore."

"Jay…"

"I know. I know, it's not fair to ask that of you, but the truth is… I don't want to lose you, Erin. Not as a partner, but certainly not as a friend. Besides, you promised me one day, right? Maybe that one day is tonight and it's only one day."

Without saying a word, Erin picked up her glass again and emptied it in one turn. The alcohol burnt down her throat, but it felt good. It was exactly what she needed right now. With a slam, she put her glass back on the bar and got off of her seat. Jay turned around, watching her every move, looking at her with one eyebrow raised high, waiting for an answer.

"Fine," she said eventually. "But I don't want to live my life full of regrets. This job… this job is what I want, Jay. Nothing can change my mind about that. I'm leaving either way, but that doesn't mean I'm out of your life for good, because you won't get rid of me that easily."

Jay could speak his mind, but so could she. She wasn't the kind of girl who put a boy in front of her own wishes, or her career. This was important to her and if he couldn't understand that, than that was his problem.

He got up too, towering above her but never posing as a threat. He was the most beautiful, most honest and most loyal guy she knew. He would never do anything to hurt her, and even though he cared for her and had obvious feelings for her, he would let her go if that was what she asked of him.

"I know I probably won't change your mind about this job, but maybe I can change your mind about us. And that's a shot I'm willing to take." He smiled, an honest smile this time and even his eyes joined in. She answered his smile with one of her own, and nodded.

His hand found hers, their fingers intertwined and he pulled her a bit closer. "Care for a dance?"

She laughed and nodded. "Sure, why not? It's a party, right?"


	2. Force of habit

Jay knew it was a long shot to change Erin's mind about her new job. Unless she actually wanted to stay her, she was leaving. No one, not even him, could change her mind about that.

But maybe he could change her mind about the whole 'long distance' thing.

He held her hand tightly and pulled her with him, away from the bar. Most people were drinking, talking or laughing, but there were a few other people who'd decided to leave their drinks and dance the night away. But even if there was no one on the dance floor; he just wanted to hold Erin in his arms before she left.

She smiled at him and he laughed. Something as simple as her smile could light up the entire room and it made him so incredibly happy. What happened around them didn't matter anymore, they were just voices in the background. Nothing more.

"What?" she asked, still smiling.

"Nothing," he replied, lifting up their hands and letting her spin around.

She laughed, out loud this time and let go of his hand, before she started dancing. _Crazy _dancing. As if she didn't have a care in the world and that was all he wanted for her. He only knew half of her background story and even though he really wanted her to confide in him, he also wanted her to do so on her own time. Until then he just wanted to make her happy.

Before he could join her, the music changed and an actual ballad came on. Talk about luck.

"What a cliché," she said, as he held out his hand again and she took it.

"Yeah, but I'm not complaining," he answered, pulling her closer and putting on of his arms around her.

"Neither am I."

They both only had one drink, but Jay felt lightheaded. An effect Erin had on him, one he wouldn't want to miss for the world. Ever since they'd partnered up he'd admired her. Sure, she was a very beautiful woman, but it wasn't just that. It was mostly her personality. Her sense of humor, her sarcasm and the way she did her job. She wasn't someone who needed protection: she was the one who did the protecting. And she'd actually saved his bacon twice already.

"Whatcha thinking about?" she asked, smiling at him again.

"You," he answered truthfully, smiling as well.

"Well, that was straight forward."

Jay shrugged. "Since you're leaving, I figured I could say whatever I wanted. Voight's not your boss anymore so he can't tell me not to… dance with you. Or think about you. Or flirt with you."

"Oh, is that what we're doing here?" she asked, clearly joking.

"Hey," he laughed. "Don't mock me, I'm trying to be honest with you here Erin."

"I know, I know. Force of habit, I like teasing you, you know that."

"Unfortunately, I do."

"Please, don't act so innocent, as if you've never teased me before."

Over the past year they'd proven they were both equally good at it, teasing each other about food, dates, clothes… almost anything they could think of. But now he had the feeling their teasing had always been a way of dealing with their feelings for each other. It had been for him anyway. And it was safe to say that Erin usually covered up her feelings as well with snarky comments; another thing they had in common.

"Okay, I'll admit that part's true," Jay started, still holding one of her hands while he held the other on her back. "But if there should be anyone crowned winner, it should be definitely you."

"I didn't realize it was a competition," she grinned, shaking her head and moving her body with his on the rhythm of the music.

"Oh, it was. And you've won. I just don't have anything to crown you with, sorry 'bout that."

She shook her head again, letting go of his hand and swinging her arm around his neck. It seemed like she didn't care anymore either. As if this was the way it had always been between them. _This is how it should've been all along. _So much time wasted, thinking about what others wanted instead of what _they _wanted. His other arm slipped around her back as well and he pulled her closer, the warmth of her body flowing into his.

For a moment they just stood there, closer than ever, dancing on a stupid ballad Jay didn't even know the name of. But this moment? This was all he ever wanted. Well, maybe not _all. _Of course he wanted more, of course he wanted everything with her, but this? This was a good start.

Until Erin broke the silence.

"Jay, I…"

"What?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. This feels nice, it really does. I like you, a lot. You know that. I care about you, I have…" She didn't finish her sentence, because he did it for her.

"You have feelings for me?"

"I guess if you put it that way…"

"I just did," he smiled, reassuring her that this felt nice for him too.

"Okay, yes. Yes I have feelings for you, but I'm not good at this. I haven't been in that many relationships and the last one? With Severide? I almost never saw him, especially not after Shay's death and… I'm leaving, Jay. I can't do this."

For a second he looked away, at nothing in particular. He just didn't want Erin to see the look of hurt in his eyes, because he couldn't deny that her words hurt, even though he knew it hurt her saying them as well. She was far from happy.

It looked like their cozy, happy bubble just burst.

"Jay? Would you please look at me? This isn't easy for me too, you know."

He sighed, and looked back at her, smiling again. "I'm sorry, I know."

"I wish I could say this changes things, but I'm still leaving and…"

"And what?"

"If we do this now, if we really do this, it would hurt more than if I never saw you again. Because then I knew what I'd lost and I can't do that. I just can't."

He was losing her, he could feel it. She was already trying to push him away, after a couple of minutes. And for what? For sparing his feelings? Or hers? They were already hurt, both of them. He because she was leaving while he didn't want her to go, she because he told her more or less how he felt about her and made it more difficult to leave.

"But if we don't," he spoke softly, pulling one of his hands back and touching the soft skin of her face with his fingers. "We will never know. Wouldn't you regret that? Wouldn't you want to know if it felt right? If it felt… I don't know, pure?"

Erin didn't answer him and Jay started to wonder if this was the wrong place to talk. Maybe they should've gone outside instead. Everyone could see them, everyone would know what was going on as soon as they saw them standing there together.

But it didn't matter if everyone knew, right? Not anymore. Because Erin was leaving… That thought was so horrifying that it felt like a kick in the guts every single time it crossed his mind. And it'd crossed his mind a lot these last few days. Jay didn't want to lose her, but it seemed like he had no choice in the matter at all.

What had he been thinking? A little dancing, talking and laughing wouldn't change anything. She wouldn't change her mind all of a sudden and decide to stay her instead. Erin wouldn't do that.

"Don't make this any harder than it already is, Jay," she said eventually, and he felt the guilt set in immediately.

This was supposed to be a party in her honor, because she made a big career switch and she would kick ass for the government. But he only made it worse by putting his feelings in front of hers. _What were you thinking, you idiot? This isn't gonna make her love you any more, or make her stay. _No, nothing was going to make her stay and the sooner he came to terms with that, the better.

"Erin…" was the only thing he could say, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't what he wanted to say, but it was all that came out.

She looked at him again, her eyes watery. He'd never seen her this vulnerable before and it broke his heart. She was struggling with her own decisions and this was the first time he actually saw it. She wanted to go, she wanted to take that job and do great things, but she also didn't want to leave this place behind. Her friends, her family…

"You won't lose me," he promised her, "no matter what happens. No matter where you are. I won't let it happen, you are too important to me."

All she did was nod, while the corners of her mouth crept up a bit, in a faint smile. Her way of saying thank you now that she couldn't get a single word past her lips. It didn't matter because Jay knew her and he knew how she was. He knew exactly what she meant.

They stared at each other, for only a couple of seconds but it felt like forever. And then she moved in on him. Without warning, without any cause.

Her lips were soft and warm, and kissing her felt better than he ever could've imagined. A warm feeling spread from his lips through his entire body and all he could think of was her. She placed both of her hands on his face… And then the feeling was gone. Erin pulled away, shaking her head again.

"I'm sorry, that was a mistake," she said under her breath.

"No, Erin…" She was backing away already. Letting go of him, making him loosen his grip on her. She was on the verge of crying and strong as she was, she wouldn't want anyone to notice until she was alone, but he noticed and he didn't want to let her go.

"Yes it was. Goodbye, Jay. I'm sorry."

It felt as if his legs had turned to stone, his body didn't move an inch, even though he wanted to run after her as she started to walk away from him, towards the exit where someone helped her get her coat. He wanted to say something, to scream her name, to stop her, but his whole body was numb and he didn't.

And then she was gone.

**OH GOSH SORRY THIS TURNED OUT WAY SADDER THAN I IMAGINED. It gets better, I promise!**


	3. It'll be different

**First of all, I would like to thank everyone who's reading/following this fic, and for all the kind words you guys have given me! It really means a lot. Hopefully you'll like chapter 3!**

Erin cried all the way home.

She'd left her own going away party, a party her friends had thrown for her. But if she'd stayed there a minute longer she'd gone crazy. It was hard enough already, and this whole situation with Jay didn't make it any easier.

She parked her car, got out of the vehicle and while she made her way to the entrance of her building, she decided she needed a bottle of booze to calm herself down. Settle her nerves. Maybe forget about the pain she felt right now.

It wasn't fair to Jay to leave him like that, but she really didn't have another option. If she stayed here, Voight wouldn't approve of them dating each other. They were working together and if they got together… Well, it would cloud their judgments. So that was a no go.

But if she left, she wouldn't be able to be with him either. A long distance relationship wouldn't work, she knew that and she wasn't planning on trying it out either.

Erin dried her tears and opened the door to her apartment, closing the door behind her as soon as she got inside. Maybe if she got some more alcohol in her system and watched some bad tv she would forget about everything. A long shot, she knew, but it was worth a try.

Dropping her coat on top of a pile of moving boxes, she let out a deep sigh. This was it. She was really leaving this place. She'd get training in Washington and when that was over, she'd be leading her own task force. They'd be needed all over the US, if necessary, but her home base would be Washington.

She found a bottle of whiskey in one of her cupboards in the kitchen and decided not to use a glass. Most of her stuff was packed into boxes anyways. Tomorrow she'd pack her last things and say goodbye to Voight, and then she'd be off to Washington. To her new life.

With the bottle of whiskey, she sat down on the couch and switched on the television. After changing a few channels, she stuck to a Friends marathon and opened the bottle, taking a large gulp of the strong liquor. She pulled a face, but swallowed it anyways. This was just what she needed.

Even though she'd turned on the tv and she usually liked Friends; this time she wasn't paying attention at all. Instead, her mind went back to couple of weeks ago, when she walked into Voight's office to talk about her job offer.

"_Hank? Can I talk to you for a sec?"_

_He looked up, and a smile appeared on his face. "Sure, come in." Ever since Justin proposed to Olive, Voight seemed happier. His derailed son finally got his life back on track and that was all that mattered to him. _

_Erin sat down across from him and sank back into the chair, a light smile on her face. Hank crossed his arms and looked at her, waiting for her to start talking._

"_I got a job offer," she said, eventually._

"_You did? Well, what can I say? It was probably only a matter of time before something like this happened…" He didn't seem too surprised. "What kind of job is it?"_

_She smiled and shrugged. "A job for the federal government. They want me to lead my own task force. Apparently I've caught their attention. I blew it off at first, but even after a couple of days they still wanted me."_

_Hank didn't say anything for a while, he was just looking at her with that smile of his. As if he was trying to figure out what she wanted by the look on her face. He knew how to read her. Even though she did her best to hide her feelings from the rest of their team, Voight always seemed to know what she was thinking. _

"_And so you've come to me for advice?" he asked, still smiling._

_Erin shrugged again. "I guess, yeah. I just want to know how you feel about this. You're the one who took me in and you helped me get my life back on track. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. So yes, I want to know your opinion."_

"_Erin, you got your own life back on track. I gave you a chance, but you had to make those decisions all on your own. If they want you to work for the feds, then that's something you've done all by yourself. And you deserve this."_

"_So you think I should take this job? Even if it means that I'll have to leave Chicago?"_

"_That doesn't mean you'll be out of our lives for good, kiddo."_

_She smiled again, nodding. "I know, but it'll be different."_

"_Of course it'll be different. But is that a reason to not take a risk? You deserve this, Erin. You're a hard worker and a good detective. You have it in you to do this. I've said it before and I will say it again. You've got a lot of potential, kid. And I'm clearly not the only one who sees it."_

_He was right. Was it a reason not to take the risk? Was she too afraid to give up the world she knew to take a big step towards an even bigger career? She wanted this. Right?_

"_I think I want to do this," she nodded eventually. "If I don't take this job, I think I'll regret it for the rest of my life."_

_Voight got up, out of his chair, and walked around his desk, to sit down in the chair next to hers. His hand found hers and he squeezed it a bit._

"_Erin, you know I love you. You're like a daughter to me and I will never see that any differently. But it doesn't matter what I say. This is another choice you'll have to make all by yourself. I've always been sure you'd do great things. But whether that's in Chicago or nationally… that's entirely up to you."_

_Erin looked at their hands, not sure what to say next. Voight was her family and he was the first person she told about her job offer. The rest of the team where her friends, but Voight… his opinion mattered most to her. And he was okay with it if she took the job. _

_Softly, she squeezed back and looked up again, looking straight at him, a smile on her face._

"_Thanks, Hank. I really needed to hear this."_

_He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed their little moment. He was the father she never had and she wouldn't want to change that for the world. _

"_You'll be okay no matter what, kiddo."_

After half an hour, half of the bottle was gone and her head was pounding. Fortunately, her tears were gone and she managed to force herself to think of the positive things that would come out of this change. She'd get that bigger career she wanted. She'd be doing good for the nation, not just for Chicago. Wasn't that what she wanted?

With shaky fingers she screwed the bottle cap back on, and dropped the bottle next to her on the couch. Drinking didn't make things better.

She rand a hand through her light brown her and bit her lip. Did she screw up with Jay? Probably. But she didn't want to leave things like they were. She had to apologize, again. She couldn't bear the thought that he'd hate her for the rest of his life because her feelings got tangled up.

It didn't take long before she got her phone out of her pocket and she scrolled through her contacts, looking for his name. When she found it, she couldn't get herself to press the green button. Instead, she stared at his name. Jay.

She loved him. She did. There was no denying it and she didn't want to deny it either, that would only cause more hurt. But she'd loved people before, and she'd let people go before, too. It wasn't fair to Jay to keep him hanging by a thread if she was leaving. The chances of her coming back where very slim and she didn't want him to waste his time waiting for her.

Was it wrong to try and call him? Probably. But she couldn't just _not _call him.

So she pressed the green button and held the phone to her ear, waiting for him to pick up and hear his voice again. She really needed to hear his voice.

"You've reached detective Jay Halstead, I can't answer the phone right now but leave a message and your number, and I'll call you back as soon as I can."

Erin sighed, closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with two of her fingers. He wasn't picking up his phone. Because he didn't hear it? Or because he saw her name on his screen?

She should've hung up. She should've never called him. But she did, and she was drunk. There wasn't any voice of reason left to tell her not to.

"Jay…" she said, after the beep, her voice shaky. "I'm so sorry. About everything. I never should've… left you there. I shouldn't've. But I did and I'm sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, because I'm not ready to lose you."

She didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, thinking of a way to say what she wanted to say. But what _did _she want to say? She didn't know and her head was so foggy and pounding because of the alcohol. That wasn't helpful either.

"Just… I'm sorry," she said again, eventually, still not sure what to say to him. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't pick up.

"I'm sorry," she whispered a third time, before she hung up and dropped her phone next to her on the couch. There was nothing else to say.

She pushed herself up, turned off the tv and walked over to her bedroom. The combination of crying and alcohol had made her more tired than ever and she could really use a good night's sleep right now. She was leaving tomorrow, and she had to be rested and not hung over.

So she took off her clothes, put on an oversized t-shirt, brushed her teeth and got into bed. She didn't even bother taking off the small bit of make-up she wore. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget about everything that'd happened that night.

**So, next chapter will be more action packed. Stay tuned!**


	4. All or nothing

He got her message the moment he closed the front door of his apartment. His phone had been on silent so he hadn't heard it when she called.

But she called.

Jay stared at the screen op his phone in disbelieve, listening to that beautiful, one of a kind, husky voice of hers on speaker. But the fact that she sounded on the verge of crying, felt like a punch in the face. She wasn't sober, he knew that too, and maybe she'd regret this call tomorrow. But he was glad she called him.

They couldn't leave things like this. At least he couldn't.

It was a good thing he didn't drink that much at her going away party, so it wouldn't be necessary to get a cab. He could still drive himself over to her place. If it was the right call? He had no idea. Probably not. It was probably best if he didn't call her until tomorrow to tell her everything was still okay and that he didn't blame her for anything, because how could he? She was Erin Lindsay. She was his partner and his best friend, even though she wouldn't be his partner anymore starting next shift. He didn't care. She'd always be his real partner to him.

But Jay didn't wait until the next morning to call her, because he couldn't. Maybe she wouldn't even open the door for him because it was too difficult to see, but he had to at least try, right? If he didn't even try he would never forget herself. This could be his last chance. For real, this time.

So he got all of his stuff – his keys, his wallet and driver's license and his phone – and walked out of his apartment again, closing the door behind him a second time. While he made his way downstairs, back to his car to drive over to Erin's apartment, he heard her shaky voice in his head again.

"_I'm so sorry. About everything. I never should've… left you there. I shouldn't've. But I did and I'm sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, because I'm not ready to lose you."_

He wasn't ready to lose her either, and he would fight for her if that was what it took to keep her in his life. Because he knew Erin. She told him they'd stay in touch and that she'd never let him out of sight… but after what happened? It was too much. It was too hurtful. It was all or nothing now and they both knew it.

Jay was hoping with all of his heart that it would be all in, because he wasn't ready for nothing. And to be honest, he never would be. Erin meant everything to him. He could only hope he meant everything to her too.

He got behind the steering wheel and punched the keys into the ignition and started the vehicle. It would only take him a couple of minutes to get to her apartment, she lived a couple of blocks away.

And so he drove off, his heart beating faster than before, determined to convince her to give them a shot. To go for all in instead of nothing. He had faith. She'd called him to apologize, to tell him how sorry she was for leaving him there without an explanation and for walking out on him. She even said she never should've left him there. That meant she wanted all in, too, right?

Like he predicted; it didn't take long for him to get to the building where Erin Lindsay lived. Or where she used to live. After tomorrow she would move to Washington and this wouldn't be her home any longer. Jay couldn't imagine her living in another city. Chicago was her home, she belonged here. And this city needed her as well.

After he parked his car and got out, he looked up to check if there was still a light on in one of her rooms, but there wasn't. Was he too late? Was she sound asleep already? Was this a sign that this was a mistake? Should he go home and act like all this never happened?

There was only one way to find out.

He locked his car and walked towards the entrance of the building. It was late already, so it was quit in the lobby. There was no one waiting for the elevator, but he took the stairs nevertheless: he had to get a hold of himself, to get the nerves out of his system before he reached her front door. Besides, climbing a few stairs wasn't exactly a problem for him.

When he arrived at her front door, he just stood there for a minute, staring at her door. His mind went back to a year ago, when Voight told him loud and clear that Erin was off limits. He knew that Voight wasn't a fan of in house relationships, and he wouldn't allow his people dating each other, but it was different with Erin. Jay knew that she was like a daughter to him, and he would always protect her.

But right now Jay didn't give a rat's ass about what Voight would think about them. The only thing he cared about was Erin and what she'd say, or how she'd react the moment she saw him.

He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, trying to calm down his nerves again. But the longer he waited, the more nervous he'd get. So he decided to just go for it. And he knocked on her door. Twice. Thrice. Four times.

It took a couple of minutes and more knocks on her door before he finally heard footsteps walking towards the door. Towards him. He probably woke her, but he didn't care. He just had to see her and hopefully she could understand that. Hopefully she wouldn't mind even one bit.

The key turned in the lock and the door opened, revealing Erin in her sleepwear. An oversized t-shirt, that was all. Her hair was a mess and she had a few small, black traces of mascara on her face. Her eyes were red and sleepy, but she looked beautiful. Truth be told, he always thought she was beautiful no matter what she was wearing, but this was the first time he saw her _this _vulnerable and he couldn't find the words to say anything. So he just stood there, looking at her, waiting for her to say something. To ask him inside of to send him back home. Either way was fine, it was her choice, but Jay hoped it'd be the first one. He really didn't want to leave.

She looked back at him, her eyes widened a bit, as if he was the last person on this earth she was expecting to see at this hour.

"Jay…"

He smiled and shrugged, finally able to open his mouth and actually say something.

"Hey."

"What… what are you doing here?"

He shrugged again and placed one of his hand against the doorpost, leaning a bit forward.

"I got your message and I just couldn't leave things like this. You're too important to me."

She didn't say anything, but ran a hand through her hair and shook her head.

"If you want me to go… I'll just leave," he said.

"No. No, that's not it. I don't want you to leave. I don't…" She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them.

Everything was in boxes. All her stuff was just gone. Packed. Ready to move to the east coast to start a new life in a new city. She probably still had to pack a few things tomorrow, but most of her stuff were in boxes already. It was so surreal. Jay refused to believe she was really leaving because it was too hurtful.

"It's just stuff, Jay…"

He looked at her again and smiled. "I know. But it's your stuff. Anyways, it doesn't matter. I'm not here to admire your packing techniques. However, if you need me to move your stuff, you can always ask me. I'm sure Voight can spare me tomorrow."

She smiled as well and took a step in his direction, still holding his hand. He hadn't even noticed, it felt so natural. But now he did and he felt the warmth of her fingers on his skin.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, looking up at him with those beautiful green eyes he could stare at forever. She took his breath away, she really did. She was a remarkable, beautiful woman with a great personality. She was admirable, and he sure as hell did admire her. He did more than just admire her. He loved her.

"You know why."

"I just… want you to say it, I guess." Same old Erin. Even when she was this vulnerable and emotional, she was still in control. And he loved that about her. He didn't want her any other way.

"Because you told me you shouldn't've left me there. And you shouldn't've. But I shouldn't've let you walk away that easily. So I guess we're both to blame. I know you're leaving tomorrow, but like I said. I can't leave things like this."

Softly she pressed her free hand against his chest and even though he was wearing a shirt, it felt like he wasn't. As if her touch burned right through the fabric of his clothes and set his skin of fire. She knew what effect she had on him.

"Like what?"

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You know what I mean, Erin."

She looked up at him again, still smiling. But there was something else he spotted in her eye and he didn't exactly know what to call it. Desire? Did she… want him?

"Then kiss me," she said, and she sounded determined. Maybe she had the time to think about everything that had happened when she left her party, or maybe there was still enough booze in her system to make her looser and make her want to lose control over herself. But either way this was what she wanted, Jay knew that. He wanted it too, so bad.

"You sure?"

"Damn right I am. Now kiss me, Jay."

She didn't have to ask him again. He pressed his lips against hers and put his arms around her waist, while she clenched hers around his neck, pressing her body close against his, leaving him with no other choice than to lift her up, moving his arms from her back to underneath her bottom. Her lips felt warm and soft, they were perfect and kissing her felt even better than the first time, even though that was barely three hours ago.

Kissing her felt like this was meant to be. As if his lips were made to kiss her.

She pulled back, trying to catch her breath and she looked at him. "Take me to the bedroom," was all she said, before she buried her face in his neck and kissed him softly on the skin.

Jay started moving, holding her in his arms. And he knew there was no way he could let her go after this, there was no way they could ever go back to being just partners and friends.

So did this mean they were all in?


	5. You better believe it

**Wow! BYP now has 40 followers! Can't thank you enough, guys. Writing this fic without your support would never be the same!**

Erin felt like she now knew every inch of Jay's body, and at the same time as if she was only just getting started with _really _getting to know him. His fingers left a burning sensation on the skin of her back, while hers traced the outlines of the muscles on his chest.

She pressed her body against his and rested with her arm on his chest, while she drew random patterns on his skin. She looked at him, a broad smile on her face that she couldn't seem to get rid of. Not that she wanted to stop smiling: she hadn't felt this happy in ages.

"I never thought it'd be so… wow."

Jay laughed a bit and put a string of curly dark blonde hair behind her ear with his free hand. His other one rested on her bare back.

"Well, what can I say? My detective skills aren't the only skills I have," he joked. It made Erin want to punch him, and make out with him at the same time.

God, why was he so damn attractive?

She would be lying if she denied ever having fantasies about this. Because she had fantasized about this, a couple of times to be honest. But the real deal was a million times better than she ever could have imagined. And for some reason he looked even more beautiful than usual, lying in her bed. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was _naked. _It probably did.

She laughed again and shook her head, letting her fingers slide up towards his neck and the stubble on his chin and cheeks.

Erin could stare at him forever, and that wasn't even a joke. The whole thing with Severide had never felt like this. Ever since she and Jay had met for the first time there had been something between them. A chemistry that she couldn't describe, no matter how hard she tried. And she couldn't ignore it either. She tried, though, they both did. But it was no use because the attraction between them was stronger than their attempts to keep it professional.

"What?" Jay asked, tilting his head a bit so she had all the space she needed to touch his face.

"Nothing," she answered, still laughing. "I just can't believe we actually did this. I mean… I have no regrets whatsoever, you know that. But we tried so hard to keep it strictly business between us."

He shrugged a bit, clearly not surprised that they slept together eventually. Maybe she shouldn't have been as well. Even when she was with Severide, her thoughts wandered off to Jay occasionally. It was just something she couldn't stop, something she didn't even _want _to stop.

"You better believe it," he eventually said, shrugging a second time, his blue eyes looking straight at her. "I don't regret it either, I never will." He meant every word he said, she could see it in her eyes. That made her happier than anything else.

"Good."

She let her hand rest on his cheek and stared at him for a while. It felt like forever, even if it were only a couple of seconds.

No matter how many times she would see his face, she'd never get over how beautiful he was. Everything was right about him, there wasn't a single thing she didn't like. Sure, they disagreed every now and then but she liked a man with a strong opinion, because she had one as well. And if she was being honest, she kinda liked it as well if he showed off his skills a bit. She was talking about his _fighting skills, _obviously.

"I'm so glad you came over," she whispered, moving her head towards him, pressing his lips on his. He answered her by kissing her back, putting his free hand in her neck and holding her close while he parted her lips and let his tongue find hers.

Erin closed her eyes and kissed him hungry. She had wanted this for so long and now she finally had him, she didn't want to let him go. Of course, she was leaving tomorrow. But for tonight he was all hers and she didn't want to waste a single second of it.

Their kiss lasted forever. Or it at least felt like it lasted forever. But then again, it was gone to soon as well. Erin smiled at Jay nevertheless, pulling back her arm from his chest and lowering her body so she could curl up against him. Jay placed both of his arms around her, after he pulled the sheets up over their bodies, covering most of their naked skin with fabric. But underneath the sheets she could feel the warmth of his skin.

"So what now?" Jay spoke up after a couple of minutes of just lying there in silence.

Erin bit her lip and didn't answer right away. She wanted this to be a great night to remember. She wanted to feel happy for a few more hours. Didn't he understand that?

"What are we going to do now…"

She looked up at him and raised her hand, putting her finger softly on his lips.

"Can we please talk about this tomorrow?" she asked him, an almost begging look in her eyes. She really didn't want to ruin the mood right now.

"Okay… I guess."

"Thanks. I just want to enjoy your company for a little bit longer," she muttered, pulling her hand back and pressing her face against his chest again, taking a deep breath afterwards and inhaling his scent. He smelt mostly like sweat at the moment, but somehow still like Jay.

"I just want to lie in your arms for a couple of hours, fall asleep next to you. Wake up next to you. I don't want to ruin this moment."

"Okay. Then we don't. But we'll have to talk about it eventually. We need to, we can't just-"

"I know, Jay. I know. We will. Tomorrow, okay? I can't do this right now."

In an answer, he put both of his arms around her again and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. Erin closed her eyes and smiles softly at his sweet gesture. He understood how hard this was on her and even though it would be a simple enough decision to just stay here… there was more to it than just her relationship with Jay. This was a great career switch, one she couldn't say no to. Because if she did there wouldn't be another chance. Not like this, anyways.

There was still enough time to think this over tomorrow, to talk about what they had over breakfast. All she wanted was to sleep in his arms for one night. That wasn't too much, was it?

"Do you wanna get some sleep?" she asked him, not bothering looking up at him because she had trouble keeping her eyes open. The fatigue started to catch up with her and if truth be told, she didn't even want to fight it. A couple hours of sleep would do her good, it would hopefully clear her head a bit so she would be able to overthink everything tomorrow with a mind not affected by alcohol. That seemed like the better idea to her.

"Yeah, I think we should," he agreed with her, kissing her on the top of her head once more. "You and I both need sleep. Plus, I got work tomorrow. First day without my partner."

Voight hadn't replaced her yet and she didn't know why. It was in his right to fill up the empty spots on his unit, especially when someone left.

"Yeah, about that. Be careful tomorrow, okay? I'm not there to have your back."

Jay snickered and she could feel how he shook his head. It cost her some energy, but she lifted her head up again to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm serious, Jay. Watch out, okay? Just promise me. I'll sleep better if you do."

She'd saved his bacon more than once on the job and he'd done the same for her. But they were practically always working together. And starting tomorrow, he wouldn't have her as a partner anymore. He wouldn't have a partner at all. Not until Voight filled up the empty spot on the team. Of course, he could work with Antonio or Atwater. Or one of the other detectives.

"Of course I will." Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "I'm not reckless, Erin. I know how dangerous our work is. But if you want me to make you a promise… Yes. I will be careful."

She smiled again, relieved this time and she kissed his chest softly. That was all she wanted to know. She didn't want him to be a hero or to show Voight that he didn't want or need another partner than her. He wasn't _that _reckless, but he was stubborn. And he would do his own thing rather than to take someone else's advice every now and then.

"Okay, let's get some sleep," she suggested, resting her head on his chest again and closing her eyes, feeling like a satisfied beam of happiness. This was all she needed for now.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep and for a couple of hours everything was less complicated, but when she woke up her bed was empty. Not a sign of Jay. Did he leave already? She sat up immediately, wrapping the sheets around her naked body and getting out of bed. Even though she'd packed most of her stuff, she still had some underwear and clothes in her closet thankfully. In less than a minute she'd put on a bra and a pair of knickers and put her oversized shirt back on, the shirt Jay'd taken off last night. She bit her lip to hide a big grin the moment last night popped into her head again. Because… well, it was the best sex she'd ever had.

There was only one place Jay could be and that was the kitchen. She had no idea if he could cook, actually. When they had dinner together they usually went out or ordered something. But breakfast didn't have to be so complicated. A bowl of milk and cereal was good enough for her. Erin Lindsay wasn't a complicated person when it came to food.

She did find him in the kitchen, trying to make her some bacon and eggs and – she had to grant it to him – it actually smelled pretty good.

"I never imagined Jay Halstead making me breakfast," she laughed, while she sat down at the kitchen table, pulling one of her legs up. She wrapped both of her arms around her leg and rested her chin on her knee, watching him making her dinner. This was definitely a view she could get used to.

"I guess I have to do something to make you want to stay here." Subtle. He turned around with two plates in his hands. One for her, and one for him. "I've made coffee as well, if you want some."

"Sure, sounds good," she nodded, keeping her eyes on the plate with food he just put in front of her on the table. It didn't just smell good; it looked good as well and she couldn't wait to try it. It was still early, but she was used to having breakfast around this time of day. They usually had an early start at the precinct, so this wasn't exactly strange for the both of them.

Jay sat down across from her, after he'd provided them both with a cup of coffee.

"Hmm, thanks," Erin picked up her mug and took a sip. No better way to start her morning than with a cup of fresh coffee. She couldn't live without that stuff.

"So…" he started, picking up the conversation again she stopped last night.

"So yeah. You can't expect me to have an answer for you right now, Jay. I have to think about this for a while. Maybe a couple of hours. I don't leave until tomorrow, so I still have some time left."

"That was not what I meant. I just want to know where we stand. With… this thing between us."

Erin put down her mug and reached over the table, to grab his hand. She just had to touch him, one way or the other. A smile crept up on her and she squeezed his hand a bit.

"Yesterday I was sure a long distance relationship would kill me. I wanted to keep you on a distance because I thought it would ruin everything we had if I let you in. But then I realized I would ruin everything if I didn't let you in. Because it would be too hard on the both of us if we stayed friends but didn't see each other. I haven't decided yet, even though this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but even if I go… we'll figure out a way to make this work."

They had to. Now that she had him, she couldn't let him go. Even if she had to spent all of her money on plane tickets to see him as often as possible, she would.

Jay squeezed her hand and lifted it up, pressing his lips against her knuckles.

"We will," he chimed in. "We'll figure it out. I'm all in."


	6. Five seconds

After last night and this morning, Jay had no more doubts. Erin was the woman he wanted to be with, the woman he was in love with. And she was in love with him too.

There were no more reasons to hide their true feelings or to ignore the force of attraction between them. If she was leaving, there was no reason for Voight to forbid a relationship between the two of them. Unless he thought Jay wasn't good enough for Erin, but he didn't think that would be the case.

Even if it was, that wouldn't stop Jay from being with her. She meant the world to him.

They'd spent the morning together, having breakfast and talking about all sorts of things. But not discussing her new job or the possibility of her leaving. Jay respected her wish to think about it in silence. And to be honest, he would be okay with it if she left. As long as they'd both try their best to keep this thing, this relationship going, even though they would be miles apart.

He was not going to lose her. He just wasn't ready for that. Not now he only just had her.

After breakfast, he really had to head home to change his clothes and get ready for work, so they'd said their goodbyes and she promised to him to call him, as soon as she knew what she wanted. If she was going to leave, or if she was staying here.

He'd kissed her on the lips and smiled at her, telling her she didn't have to worry about her choice because he was going to support her. All he ever wanted was a chance with her, and now that they were actually giving it a shot… well, it was time for him to be the supportive boyfriend. Maybe if she had a steady job and thing were going really good between them, he could put in for a transfer to Washington so they could be together.

Chicago was his home as well, but he would gladly leave it if it meant he could be with Erin. But it was too soon to make a decision that big, to give up the life he knew here. Because what if it didn't work out between them? What if it turned out they were better off as friends… What then? No, it was better if they waited a while longer. Besides, maybe Erin wouldn't go to Washington at all.

Maybe she decided to stay here after all.

He wanted her to stay. He wanted her here, with their friends and family. She was part of the family at the 21st precinct of the police department. But if she wanted to leave, that was entirely up to her.

Jay had left Erin's apartment around 7am and drove home to take a shower and get dressed. It didn't take long for him to get ready for work and around 8am, he arrived at the station.

The moment he walked up the stairs and through the doors, a strange feeling hit him. Normally Erin greeted him every morning on his way in and they would talk about stupid stuff. Stuff that didn't even matter. Like a new movie playing in the theatre or she would make fun of a shirt he was wearing. He'd share his breakfast with her and they would get coffee together, upstairs, while waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.

But today he was alone and it felt weird.

"You're a bit late, Halstead," sergeant Platt said, peering at him over her glasses, one of her eyebrows raised high. She liked him well enough, but she'd always been a bigger fan of Erin's. Jay was sure she was going to miss their female, kickass detective as well.

He shrugged and walked towards the stairs that led up towards the intelligence department.

"Don't make it a habit, detective!"

He wasn't going to, but today was just… a weird day. And it would definitely take him some time to get used to the fact that Erin wasn't his partner anymore.

The moment he got upstairs, everyone was already gathered around the board. So apparently they had a case. That was good. A case would take his mind off things a bit so he wouldn't count down the hours until Erin called him with her final decision.

Voight gave him a look, but didn't say a thing. It was like the guy was all knowing, because Jay was sure he'd figured it out already. Voight always knew what was going on for some reason, even if no one told him. And Jay was pretty sure Erin didn't call him to tell about everything that had happened between them. She wouldn't do that.

The others looked at him for a second as well, but no one said a thing. Good. He didn't want to explain why he was late anyways.

"Listen up," Voight said, while Jay sat down on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at his boss who would explain the new case to them. He put a picture on the board of a guy with a scruffy beard and a hollow look in his pale blue eyes.

"He doesn't look too friendly," Jay muttered, shaking his head.

"That's because he isn't," Voight replied to his comment, louder, so that everyone could hear it. "Meet Kyle Vito, we've been trying to catch him for a while now but so far no luck."

"So what do we have on him?" Ruzek asked, a question everyone wanted an answer to.

"The Vito gang has been running a major drug empire out of the back of a car dealership Kyle's famiy owns. So far we didn't have anything to pin him down for, and to roll up his entire organization, but that changed today," Voight explained.

Olinsky stepped forward, putting another picture on the board. One of a young woman, this time. She must've been around the age of 25, at least twenty years younger than Vito. And Jay guessed she was no longer breathing.

He was right.

"This is Molly Vito, Kyle's latest girlfriend. She was found dead last night a few blocks away from the dealership. There were traces of cocaine in her system and they found Kyle's bloody fingerprints on her. So it looks like we've got him red handed. Neighbors overheard them fighting and he's threatened to kill her a couple of times before. We're one hundred percent positive that it's Vito."

Voight took over again and put a piece of paper up in the air.

"This is the warrant for Vito's arrest. We got the son of a bitch for murder, but I want to shut down his entire operation as well. So we have to be careful, we can't storm in there and arrest him because that would give his crew the time to get rid of the evidence."

So they would be rolling up a drug operation today. Seemed like fun. At least they would be busy enough and he would be doing something good while he was waiting for Erin's answer.

"Good. One of you guys has to go undercover to try and score some dope. I got intel from one of my CI's and it happens pretty often that someone comes in to 'check out a car', but to leave with a bag of cocaine as well," Voight said, looking at the faces around him, waiting for someone to step forward to volunteer to go buy the drugs.

"I'll go," Jay offered, shrugging. "I've done this before, I know what do to. How to act."

Voight nodded and looked him in the eye for a couple of seconds, as if he was making sure he was up for the task. But eventually he looked away again and Jay got up from his desk.

"Good. You'll all get the address of the dealership. Olinsky and Ruzek, I want you two to keep your eyes on Halstead and make sure he gets out safe if things go south ways, copy that?" The partners nodded and Voight went back into his office again.

It didn't take long for Jay to get ready. They gave him a phone with a bug in it, so everyone would be able to hear the conversation he had with Vito or one of his accomplishes, but there was no need to dress up. If Voight's CI was right and people actually went in there to buy a car and some drugs, there was no need to dress up as a total junkie. That meant even the most modest civilians of this town could be drug users.

During the ride over to the dealership where everything would go down, Olinsky and Ruzek talked everything over with him one last time, to be sure he was ready to do this.

"What?" he asked, looking a bit puzzled. "You guys don't trust me? This isn't the first time I've done some undercover work. I know what to do, I'm not an idiot."

"Okay, okay," Ruzek answered, shrugging. "Just making sure you got it."

"Well, I do. Don't worry about it. Just make sure you got my ass covered."

"Copy that."

Before he got out of the car, Jay checked his own phone once more, to see if Erin had called him, but she hadn't. There was no missed call or a message and he sighed. Of course he'd meant it when he'd told her it was all her choice and he would support her no matter what, but he just wanted to know for sure. He wanted to know if she'd be his partner again next shift or that he had to get used to a new one. But it looked like he had to wait a bit longer for his answer.

He put his phone away again and got out of the car, a block away from the dealership. He'd walk the last couple of miles so he wouldn't be associated with the two men who came in just minutes before him, who'd look around and maybe pick out a car as well.

He waited a few minutes before he made his way to the dealership. The moment he walked through the doors, he spotted Olinksy and Ruzek standing a couple meters away, admiring a car. Jay couldn't see what brand it was, but he didn't care. He was here for one goal only, and that wasn't a car.

"Can I help you, sir?" a woman with a big smile and dark brown hair walked over to him, waiting for his answer. Jay didn't doubt that she was in on the whole drug empire thing as well. She had to be, if she worked here.

He flashed her one of his most charming smiles and nodded.

"Yeah, I could use your help, actually. One of my buddies told me that this was the best _place _in town," putting the emphasize on 'place', so she would know he wasn't talking about the cars.

"Oh really? And what was your friends name, sir?" Olinsky had warned him they'd ask him something like that. He was prepared. Vito was one of the most cautious gang leaders around, one of the reasons why the hadn't caught him yet. But that would change today.

"Zach Daniels," he gave her the name of Voight's CI, the one that had provided them with all of the intel they needed to get inside and shut everything down.

"Just give me one second, sir. I'll go check it for you. I'll be right back." She smiled again and he smiled as well, watching her carefully as she made her way to the back. He checked his pocket once more, making sure he still had the phone on him. Once he'd step into the back, Olinsky and Ruzek wouldn't have eyes on him anymore and they'd have to do with the audio the bug provided.

"Sir?" He looked up, seeing the woman walk over to him again, still smiling. That was a good sign, was it? Hopefully it was. "Mr. Vito will see you in his office. He's glad your friend has recommend you our dealership. We hope we can offer you what you're looking for. Mr. Vito himself will help you personally today."

Jay smiled back at her, nodding.

"Thank you."

She led him into the back, and the moment he stepped through the door, it was as if he stepped into a whole different world. This wasn't exactly new to him, they'd seen things like this before. In the background he could hear the voices of the members of Vito's gang that helped him run his drug business, while the front was run by professional auto dealers who were probably getting their fair share of the money Vito made with selling cocaine.

Just one minute later, they stood in front of Vito's office and the lady knocked on the door.

"He's here," she said, opening the door. "I'll leave you two to it." And still with a smile on her face, she left the hallway again and went back to the store.

Jay stepped inside, looking around the office, until his eye caught Vito's.

"So, you're looking to buy some of my product, hmm?"

Jay nodded, taking a step towards the criminal they were after. "I am, and Zach told me you were the best in town. So I'm guessing your product is worth trying."

Vito laughed and nodded. "It sure as hell is. If you're a friend of Zach's, I know I can trust you. If it turns out you're not, you're a dead man. Got it?"

"Of course, I totally understand. But you have nothing to worry about, Mr. Vito."

"Good… Follow me, I'll show you the product." Vito walked past him into the hallway again, until he suddenly stopped and turned around, a serious look on his face. "But before we go, I have to ask you how much cash you have on you right now."

"Enough, I promise," Jay assured him, patting the pocket of his jeans. Voight had given him enough to keep his cover from being blown, but hopefully it wouldn't even come that far. As soon as Jay had eyes on the drugs, he would call it in and Olinsky and Ruzek would storm in, followed by Voight, Antonio and Atwater from the other side of the building and they would take this whole operation down in less than an hour.

That was, if it all worked out.

"Good," Vito said again, nodding, cracking a smile finally. "I like you, mr…"

"Johnson. Greg."

"Okay, very well then. I like you, Mr. Johnson. No if you would follow me, please?"

They walked down the hallway, into the very back of the building, where maybe twenty men were working on bagging cocaine into small see through bags. Jay had no idea how much cocaine there was actually lying around here, but he was pretty sure it was a lot. Enough to make millions with, and he was pretty sure that was exactly what Vito did. He was a money grabbing drug emperor, and he probably killed his girlfriend because she wanted out. Or because she said something to the wrong person. Either way she ended up dead because the guy she was with loved his money more than her.

"Wow… that's… a lot," Jay managed to get out, to sound impressed by all he was seeing. "You've got a smooth running operation here, Mr. Vito. Very impressive. I'm sure your product is as good as they say it is. I don't doubt that." And there it was, the code for the rest of his team to get their asses in here so they could deal with this right here, right now. There was nothing else Jay rather wanted to do right now than to arrest this son of a bitch and put him away for the rest of his life for what he'd done to that girl.

"It sure is, Mr. Johnson. And I can assure you that it's all worth your-" but he stopped hallway through his sentence.

Jay turned around, watching Olinsky and Ruzek storm through the hallway, right into the back, guns drawn. And it wouldn't take long before the rest of the team would be there as well.

And for a second Jay thought they'd won.

Only for a second.

"Jay, GET DOWN!" he heard Voight's voice coming from behind him.

And he turned around.

To see Vito had pulled a gun in the five seconds that had passed.

In the five seconds that Jay didn't have his eye on him.

Instinctively his hand went to his own gun, a gun he didn't have on him because he was undercover. A gun that would save his life right at this very moment.

"JAY!" he heard Voight call out again, a sign he had to run.

But he had nowhere to run, no way to protect himself. It was only a matter of seconds, not minutes.

And then Vito's gun went off and it felt like time stopped. The whole world started to slip away from his grip, as if he was slowly being pulled into oblivion. Both of his hands went instinctively to his stomach, where he could feel his own, warm blood gush out of the wound. He staggered back, a few steps, everything spinning. Until he finally collapsed onto the ground.

The pain was worse than he could've imagined, as if something had torn him in half.

He gasped for air, trying to remain conscious because he knew somewhere deep down that that was what he had to do. But it was easier said than done.

He could hear gunshots, shouting and footsteps, but he had no idea what was happening, or what happened. He could only think of one thing. One person.

Her name was the last thing that crossed his mind before everything went black.


	7. Make him pay

Jay left her apartment a couple of hours ago and Erin still hadn't decided.

Every time she thought she was remotely sure of what she was going to do, another argument popped into her mind and she was back at square one.

She used to listen to her intuition all the time, something Voight taught her. She knew that if he was here he'd tell her to listen to her hear, to do what felt right. But Erin didn't know what felt right anymore. Leaving for Washington felt really good in the sense that she would open up a whole new chapter of her life. But staying here, in Chicago, felt right as well. She's be able to help people her, people she could relate to because of what she went through when she was younger.

And Jay was here.

That was definitely a big plus.

Indecisive, she sat down on the couch and looked around her apartment. The apartment where she'd lived for the last couple of years. The apartment where Nadia had stayed for a while when she was finally trying to get her life back on track. The apartment where she had movie nights with friends and where she'd spent a lot of time with Jay, just talking.

But it was just an apartment, an empty shell. The people inside were what made it a home. Not the four walls, the location or the stuff inside. But Erin was still going to miss this place would she leave for Washington.

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed loudly.

Why was it all so difficult? Last night, before she went to Molly's, everything'd seemed so clear. She'd been on her way to say goodbye to her friends and colleagues, but Jay had changed everything.

Or did he?

Her stuff was still packed in boxes. Most of it, anyways. Almost everything was ready to go. _She _was almost ready to go. So why didn't she? This job was what she wanted, she'd make a huge step forward in her career, she'd climb higher on the ladder than she ever could've imagined.

She'd be leading her own task force. How many people her age in this business could say that? Not many, she was convinced of that. And everyone had her back, even Jay.

He'd told her this morning that it was all in her hands now, that he would support her no matter what. He wanted her to make the right decision, because now that they were both all in, they'd figure out a way to be together even if they were miles apart. And she believed him, because she felt exactly the same way. They would figure out how to make this work, how to see each other as often as their jobs would allow. And with the technologies of these days it would be a lot easier to stay in touch. There was not only texting and calling, but there was also skype. And not to mention airplanes. She would make sure they'd make this work. For real.

And maybe Jay would even consider coming with her, eventually. She wouldn't ask that of him right away, but maybe in a little while when things were still going smoothly.

Erin sighed again, but this time there was a little smile on her face.

She'd made her decision, at last. She would be going to DC after all.

Before she called Jay to explain her decision to him, she got up and packed some more of her stuff. After an hour or two, most of her stuff had disappeared into boxes and suitcases. The cupboards in her kitchen were empty, her clothes were gone from the closet in her bedroom and all her valuable things were packed. The only clothes she didn't pack where the ones she was wearing right now. Tomorrow would be a long day and she'd be behind the wheel throughout most of it, so it wouldn't be that horrifying if she wore the same thing twice. She didn't care, honestly.

Satisfied, she left her bedroom again and went straight for her phone to call Jay. Maybe she could come over for lunch and they could take a walk. She'd rather say this face to face than over the phone. It felt wrong to tell him like this. So she picked up her phone from the counter and looked up his number.

It rang a couple of times, but he didn't pick up. Erin stayed on the line, until it finally went to voicemail. The same voicemail she'd heard last night. But this time she didn't leave a message. Instead, she texted him that she was coming over so they could grab some lunch together and talk things through.

She'd just put her phone back on the counter, when it rang.

"What the…" she muttered, when she saw who was calling her. It was Voight.

Why would he be calling her? He was on shift.

Erin picked up her phone again and pressed the green button before she held it against her ear.

"Hank? What's going on? Why are you calling me?"

Of course, he could be just calling her to ask her how she was, if she needed help with packing her stuff, if she wanted to come over tonight to have dinner at his place before she left tomorrow. There were a whole lot of reasons why he'd decided to call her. But for some reason Erin didn't believe she was going to like the outcome of this conversation.

"Erin," he said, a mixture of sadness and anger in his voice, and she swore she could hear something else as well. As if he was sorry for her for some reason.

"Hank…" she said again, not liking where this conversation was going at all. "What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry," he said eventually after a couple seconds of silence.

He didn't have to say it. She already knew what happened. She already knew the minute she'd answered that phone call.

"How bad is it?" she asked, fighting back her tears, clenching her free hand into a fist, biting her lip so hard until it bled.

"It's bad, Erin. It's really bad. They don't even know if he's gonna make it through the night."

She didn't know what to say. It was probably impossible to say something without starting to cry. So she didn't say anything for a while, Hank giving her the time she needed to process this.

"This is all my fault…" she whispered eventually, shaking her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Erin, stop. This isn't-"

"Yes. Yes it is. I should've been there. I should've had his back. I'm supposed to be his partner, I'm supposed to…" There wasn't a single other word she could get out.

"Supposed to what? Jay's a big boy, Erin. He can look out for himself. He had back up, but something went wrong… It's more my fault than it's yours kiddo. Don't beat yourself up over this."

She nodded, even though Hank couldn't see that. Deep down inside she knew he was right, but it didn't feel like he was right. She felt guilty, and she couldn't shake that feeling.

"Please tell me you caught the guy," she whispered, wiping the tears from her face.

"He got away," Hank said, straight to the point. He was a no bullshit type of guy, and that was something she really admired. And right now she needed the truth, not some sort of comforting bullshit. She was a big girl, she could handle it. "He shot his way out and I couldn't risk any more of my men getting shot. Besides, we had to get Jay to the hospital as soon as possible. But we're gonna do whatever it takes to get him, Erin. And believe me, he's gonna wish he was dead."

"Oh he sure as hell is once I'm done with him," she hissed through her teeth, an angry look in her eyes. Now she was over the shock of the news, and the fact that she hadn't been there to save his ass, all she felt was anger towards the guy who did this to Jay.

She was going to make him pay.

"I'm on the case," she said. It was not a question, but a statement.

It was silent on the other end of the line for a few seconds and she knew Hank was overthinking this. But when his answer came, she knew he understood her. He always did.

"I know."

"Good. I'm coming over. Where is he?"

"Chicago med. Look, Erin, his condition is still critical. The doctors are working on him right now, there's really nothing you can do for him here."

She shook her head again. "I'm still coming over. You can get me up to speed in the hospital. I _need _to be there when he wakes up."

"All right. I guess I'll see you in a bit then."

"Yeah."

She hang up again and got her stuff. She put on her coat, grabbed her keys and left her apartment as soon as she could, wanting to see him desperately. She couldn't believe this was actually happened. Everything in her life seemed to be going really well, and that was a first.

It only took her a couple of minutes to get to her car, get behind the wheel so she could drive over to the hospital. She didn't care if she got a couple of tickets for speeding: she just had to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Hang in there, Jay…"

Thank God she found a parking space near the entrance. Erin parked her car, got out, closed the door behind her and started running. She just had to get there in time, she had to… this was all her fault, she should've been there, she should've had his back. _None of this would've happened if I'd been there, _she thought to herself, not able to get rid of the guilty feeling that gnawed a way into her soul.

The receptionist was helpful enough to tell her immediately on what floor she needed to be, and Erin ran off again. The elevator would take too much time, so she decided to just take the stairs to the fourth floor. They'd brought him in on the ER, but it didn't take long before they brought him to the OR. Erin really needed to be there once they brought him back out again.

She reached the right floor, pushed open the doors and held still when she saw all of her friends and co-workers standing there, waiting for the surgeon to tell them how he was doing, if he was going to make it or if his condition was still critical after the surgery.

Everyone was there and it warmed her heart. This was her family, Jay's family. And they were all here to support him. She managed to smile faintly at them, before Voight walked over and put his arms around her in a fatherly hug. She put her arms around him as well and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds.

"How long has he been in there?" she asked after she pulled back.

"Quite some time now," Hank answered, shaking his head.

So that meant the surgeon could come back at any time, but it could take another hour as well. Erin hoped with all her heart that it was the first option, because she needed to know. And she needed him to be okay. She needed him to survive.

She was not ready to lose him.

The doors flung open again and a surgeon stepped out. Erin could only hope that he was here to bring them good news.

"Please…" she whispered, as the man walked towards them.

"The good news is that he's stable for now. We've managed to stop the bleeding and no vital organs were damaged beyond repair. He has lost a lot of blood, but I have reason enough to believe he's going to make it."

A burden fell of her shoulders, it felt like she'd been holding in her breath ever since she found out and now she was finally able to breathe again. She didn't even realize the tears had come back again. It wasn't until Olinsky offered her a tissue that she noticed.

"Now, he is still very weak and he's resting, so I can't allow anyone in there who's not family."

"No," Erin said immediately, and stepped forward. "I need to see him. I need to be there." _I need to have his back, _ she added in thought.

"I'm sorry, miss. If you're not family, I can't let you in there. It's against hospital policy and-"

"I'm his partner," she said. "You don't understand, I _need _to see him."

The man just looked at her, still not convinced.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said eventually, an almost begging look in her eyes. "Please, let me in there. I really need to see him, I need to see that he's going to be okay. With my own two eyes."

"Okay," the surgeon agreed finally. "Right this way, miss. But I'm going to have to ask the rest of you to wait here or to leave."

Erin followed the man back through the doors, down the hallway, until they finally reached the room Jay was in. She just stood there a couple of seconds, staring at him through the glass. God, he looked so vulnerable right now and she hated seeing him like that. She hated seeing him in a hospital bed.

The doctor opened the door and let her in. Erin thanked him and closed the door behind her, before she walked over to the bed were Jay was lying unconscious, connected to a heart monitor so they could keep an eye on him, an iv that led into his arm…

Erin bit her lip and sat down next to him, grabbing his hand pressing his knuckles against her lip.

"I'm so sorry," she cried softly, shaking her head. "I should've been there. I left you alone again and I'm sorry. But I'm here now."

She knew that if Jay could hear her, he'd tell her that it wasn't her fault. Just like Voight did on the phone. But she felt that way no matter what they'd tell her. She felt guilty and she couldn't ignore that feeling. She wouldn't.

"I'm going to catch this guy, I promise. I'm going to make him pay for what he did to you."

She kissed his knuckles again, not ready to leave his side yet. But she knew that every second counted. She couldn't waste a lot of time by sitting here while he was unconscious. Even though she _wanted _to be here, with him, she wanted to be out there as well. She wanted to catch that son of a bitch who shot Jay.

And she would.

"You're going to be all right, you hear me? You're a fighter, Jay. You're tough. You can make it through this, I can feel it. And when you do I'll be waiting for you, right here. I've got your back."


	8. Before it's dark

**Thanks for the sweet messages, lovelies! Hope you like the next chapter. It's Erin's POV again, because Jay is still unconscious!**

Erin sat next to his bed for a while, just holding his hand and reassuring him everything was going to be okay. That she and the others would catch the guy that did this to him and that they would make him pay for what he did.

"Hang in there," she whispered, as she stroke his hair. "I can't lose you, Jay Halstead. So you better get your ass back to me as soon as possible."

Softly, she pinched his hand before she got up and leaned forward, to brush her lips softly against his forehead. With teary eyes and shaking hands, she finally let go of him and took a step back, not able to take her eyes off of him just yet.

He looked so fragile, just lying there in that bed. But she knew Voight was right. Jay would pull through all of this and come back to her. He just had to.

It had finally seemed she had her life in order. Here career was taking of, she had the most amazing guy ever in her life and she had a family she could count on even though she'd be miles away. Maybe not family by blood, but to her family wasn't about blood at all.

But one call had changed everything. One call had knocked her off her feet. One call that could've ruined her life.

Deep down inside, a voice cried out for her to take a moment to cry, to process everything that happened and to come to terms with the fact that it was still a possibility she'd lose Jay. But Erin blocked that voice out, she didn't want to listen to it at all. She had to be strong now, because if she took a minute to cry, the guy who did this would be miles away already and she wasn't planning on letting him get that far.

"Please," she whispered, looking at him, a begging look in her eyes that he couldn't see. But unconscious patients could still hear the people around them, right? Or at least it was a possibility he could hear her. "Come back to me, Jay. That's not a request. Just so you know. Come back, okay?"

She felt horrible for leaving him there, but she had to. She wanted to catch whoever did this to him and to do so she had to be out there. She had to be in the field.

The moment she stepped through the doors, only Voight was still there, waiting for her to come back. Waiting for an update on one of his detectives.

"How is he?"

Erin shrugged, wiping a few tears of her cheeks, trying her best not to break down.

"He's doing okay, I guess. If that's even possible. He's been shot, Hank. And even though there might not be that much damage to his organs, he's still in danger. He's lost a lot of blood and if he gets an infection or an internal bleeding-"

The tears rolled down her face again and Voight but his arms around her, the second time that day, pulling her closer to him for some comfort. It was his way of telling her it was okay if she wanted to cry.

"He's in good hands, Erin. He'll be okay. Jay's a fighter, there's no way he's gonna give up that easily. Besides, he knows I'll kick his ass if he leaves you here."

Erin pulled back, smiling through her tears, nodding. He was right and she knew it deep down, but it was hard to convince herself. Especially when Jay was in a condition like this one…

"It sucks," she murmured and let out a deep sigh, calming herself down. She needed to be on her a game if she wanted to do this. And she sure as hell wanted to do this.

"Okay, you can get me up to speed on our way back to the precinct," she told Hank, deciding she'd ride back with him and leave her car here. She'd come back her eventually because as long as Jay was in the hospital, she'd be too. There was no doubt about that.

Well, after they caught the son of a bitch, of course.

"All right, let's go then. Can't lose any more time."

Erin nodded and started walking towards the elevator, sliding her hands into her pockets while her fingers formed into fists.

She'd been angry before, but never like this. Sure, she was mad at her mom several times, she was furious at Charlie, she hated the people who did all those horrible things to her brother, but this was something entirely different. This was Jay. The most important person in her life, she was willing to admit that. He was always there for her, no matter what, he always had her back. But it wasn't just that. Their friendship, their connection… it was one of a kind. She'd never experienced something like this before and she knew that she was never going to find someone else she'd bond with. Not like this.

"Are you all right, kiddo? Sure you want to do this?" Voight asked, as they left the hospital and walked over to his car, ready to get back to the precinct.

"Yeah, I'm sure, Hank. You don't have to ask me that every five minutes. I'm solid. I just need to catch that guy before he skips town."

She pulled open the door, got in and put on her seatbelt. It was all taking up too much time and she was starting to get agitated. Biting her lip, she ran her fingers through her messy hair, looking out of the window to the hospital where Jay still lay in his hospital bed, hurt and unconscious, monitored and medicated. She just wanted him to wake up, to tell her he was okay and that she shouldn't worry too much because he wasn't planning on dying any time soon.

"Don't worry, we'll get him," Voight said the minute he got behind the wheel. He started the engine and they were on their way.

"We've got Vito's picture at the airports and all train- and busstations. We've send out word to every other district. Every cop in this city is on the look-out for him, Erin. There's no way I'm letting this one walk. He shot one of my own."

She should have known. Jay was one their own and Voight would do everything in his power to get to this Vito person. And Voight had a lot of power.

"Yeah… okay, so tell me. What happened?" She needed to know if she wanted to work this case. And she needed to know because it happened to Jay.

"We were trying to bust the Vito gang," Voight started to explain, "they run a huge drug empire out of the back of Vito's car dealership but he's a cautious guy. We never got any dirt on him to take him down, until last night. They found his girlfriend or wife or… whatever she was, dead on the side of the road, a couple of blocks from Vito's house. We found his fingerprints on her, so we were able to get a warrant for his house and his dealership. I knew we had to send someone in undercover, to get eyes on the product."

"And Jay went in solo," Erin concluded.

"Yep. I had Olinsky and Ruzek right behind him. As soon as he'd let them know through the bug in his phone there was actually a drug business back there, they would storm in and cover his ass. Atwater, Antonio and I came in through the back at the same time."

"But you were too late?"

He nodded and said nothing for a few seconds. Erin just stared at him, she wanted to hear the rest of the story, she _really _needed to know what happened in there.

"Vito had a gun and Jay didn't know. None of us did, actually. The moment I saw it, I realized it was already too late. I tried to warn him but it was only a matter of seconds. Vito shot his way out of there, apparently he had some sort of getaway car out in the back, one we missed. He was gone before our back-up arrived."

"So…"

"There was nothing we could do, Erin. There was nothing you could have done. Five seconds after we got there Vito had already pulled his gun on Jay. Even if you would've been there, you couldn't've stopped him from taking that shot. I need you to realize that. You need to stop blaming yourself for this."

"I know, but-"

"No buts, Erin. Jay can take care of himself, you know that. He's been in the army, he's been in a lot tougher situations than this one. It was just… one of the dangers of the job, and he was well aware of that the moment he walked in there. He knew what could happen, he knew Vito would blow his brains out the minute he realized Jay was a cop. We're lucky he's still alive. You should be too."

But not being there for him when he needed her as back up wasn't the only reason why Erin was blaming herself for what happened. Because if she left Chicago, she would never be there to be his back up ever again. She would never be there right away if he got hurt. She wouldn't be the first on to make sure he was okay. Someone would call her and tell her what happened and she'd be miles away. The thought of that made her heart sink.

"I'm sorry, you're right," she said eventually.

"Damn straight I am. Now come on, let's find out if there's some news on this guy."

They got out of the car and walked up the stairs into the precinct, where sergeant Platt was clearly surprised to see Erin's face. But then the realization kicked in and the surprised look on her face turned to a considerate one.

"Erin, we're all hoping he's going to be okay. If there's anything you need… just let me know, okay?"

Erin nodded and smiled faintly.

"Thanks, sergeant. I appreciate it."

"No problem. Just let me know."

Voight was already waiting for her by the next set of stairs and she followed him upstairs, wondering how many people knew about her and Jay. Probably everyone. They hadn't been exactly discrete at her party last night at Molly's. She'd kissed him in plain sight for everyone to see. And now he was shot and she was still there. Plus, she'd told the doctor in the hospital she was his girlfriend.

The moment she entered the bullpen, every person there looked at her with faces like question marks, dying to hear how Jay was doing and if he was going to be all right. Erin didn't blame them.

"The doctor says he should be okay, but they're keeping him on the ICU for now. He's still in a fragile and unstable state. He's lost a lot of blood and there's still an infection risk…"

"So he's not out of the woods yet?" Ruzek asked, and she could see the look of guilt on his face. He'd been there and he could've saved Jay, when the truth was no one could've saved him.

"No," Erin said, shaking her head. "He's not. But we gotta keep the faith, guys. Jay can get through this, I'm sure he can. The doctors are monitoring him 24/7, so all we can do right now is catch the son of a bitch who did this."

"Lindsay's right, folks," Voight agreed, placing his hands on his hips and giving his people the infamous Voight-glare, before he continued. "I want to have this asshole in the box before it's dark, copy that?"

"Yes sir."

"I want to know who the last person is he spoke to, see if this care he left in has GPS, talk to family members or the low life dealers we brought in this morning . I need to know where he'd go. I need addresses!"

Everyone scattered, getting back to work, trying to find a clue as to where Vito was hiding.

And just when Erin wanted to get to her desk and start working the case as well, a phone rang and Nadia picked it up. Hopeful, Erin turned around and watched the girl she brought in to this family answering the phone, helping with the case on her own way until she was ready to start the academy.

Her eyes went big and so did Erin's. What was it? A clue? Did they have him? Was it Vito?

"That was O'Hare," she said, looking at Erin first, before she turned to Voight.

"They've got eyes on Vito."


	9. I don't care how you guys do it

It didn't take long for that little piece of information to settle in.

They had eyes on Vito at O'Hare airport. That meant they had to move now before he was gone again. Airport security wouldn't let him get on a plane, but they had no idea how dangerous this guy could be. He already shot Jay and numerous people had OD'd after using his drug. There was no way in hell Erin was going to let more innocent people get hurt because of him. Or worse, die.

She didn't have to get her stuff, all she had to do was get her ass downstairs and get in Voight's car. Hers was still at the hospital and if truth be told, she'd much rather be shotgun right now. Her emotions were all over the place, and while she was usually the one behind the wheel, she had no problem giving that task out of hands right now.

"We have to go right now," she decided immediately, before Voight got the chance to say anything, even though he was probably going to say the same thing.

"I want every uniform on the street watching out for this guy," he said, more to the others than to her. "We're not letting this guy get away. Not after what he did. And if he flees town, he's just gonna start his business somewhere else."

Erin nodded and so did the rest of the team. Everyone agreed that they had to catch this guy before it was too late.

"All right, let's get a move on things. Lindsay, you're with me. Olinsky, I want you and Ruzek to get eyes on him as soon as possible once we get there. Make sure you get to the surveillance room and keep in touch with the rest of us. Antonio, Atwater, you're with us. We'll split up when we get there but make sure to keep your radios on an your earpieces in."

Everyone agreed, and while they got ready and packed their stuff, Erin decided she had to do something else first.

"I'll see you downstairs in a bit," she told Voight, before she turned around and walked down the stairs again, back to the desk where sergeant Platt was standing behind.

"Sarge?" she started, knocking on the wooden desk, waiting for a response.

"Erin, how can I help?"

"It's just… is Burgess around?"

"Yeah, she is. She just came in with Roman, they've arrested some punk ass kid who was lighting a dumpster on fire. He's probably gonna walk but that crime will haunt him forever."

"Yeah, okay. That's nice," Erin said, not really paying attention to what Platt was telling her. "Can you please tell her to come look for me downstairs as soon as possible? I need her help with something."

"No need to."

Erin arched her brow, confused, until she saw that Platt was looking straight past her. And so she turned around, to find Kim Burgess and Sean Roman standing right behind her.

That saved her a lot of time. Time she didn't have.

"Thank God," she said, running a hand through her hair.

"Lindsay, is everything okay?" Kim asked, a concerned look on her face. Erin knew she probably looked tired and worn off, not to mention the constant look of worry in her eyes, but she had to kept going and so she nodded in an attempt to wave away Burgess' concern.

"I'm fine. I just need you two to do something for me," she said.

"You need our help upstairs?" Roman asked. Erin didn't really knew him that well, but Burgess' trusted him and so did Antonio. He was probably solid, good police. So even though she didn't know him, she trusted him too.

"Kind of," she answered, looking at Platt over her shoulder again to get her approval before she assigned Roman and Burgess to a whole different task. Platt just looked at her, and nodded her head just once, telling Erin without words that it was okay. Whatever she needed.

"So what is it?" Burgess asked.

Erin looked at her again and sighed.

"I need you two to get over to Chicago Med and keep an eye on Jay for me. Can you do that? They've probably moved him to another room by now and I want a detail on him just to be sure. I don't know exactly what went down there, but I'm not taking any chances on this. And it would be really nice to get an update every now and then. I need to know if he gets better, okay? But I also want to know if things get worse."

Kim just looked at her for a second, trying to read her, but Erin wasn't exactly an open book. There were only a few people in her life who were able to read her, two of them were Voight and Jay.

"Sure, not a problem at all," Roman was the one who eventually answered her. In a positive way, thank God. "We'll go there right away and make sure he's safe. As soon as there's any change in his condition, we'll let you know, detective. You can count on us."

Erin smiled, sincerely, even though she didn't feel like smiling at all.

"Thanks, Roman. And you too, Burgess."

"No problem," Kim chimed in, smiling faintly as well. "Just make sure you guys catch that son of a bitch. We all want to see him brought down."

"Yeah, we'll do our best. Believe me, no one wants to see him go down more than me."

Roman and Burgess left the building and Erin watched them leave, before she turned back around to look at Platt, who was still standing behind her desk and looking at her. She'd probably heard the whole conversation.

"I don't care how you guys do it," she said, "but I want that guy off the streets. And if he happens he doesn't make it back alive, no one will shed a tear. And I'll make sure everything'll be handled."

"Thanks."

She left the entrance hall again, and only a couple of minutes later she was standing right next to Voight in the basement, next to the back entrance, where everyone had gathered, after they'd put in their earpieces and made sure everything was working. There'd be no Kevlar right now, because it would most definitely spook Vito and the last thing they wanted was for him to lose his mind. Innocent people could get hurt, and that was exactly what they wanted to prevent from happening.

"Listen up," Voight said, before everyone got in their cars to get to the airport.

"Make sure Vito doesn't see you, because if he does, we won't be able to catch him alive. And I want him alive, do you understand? I want him alive and well, to make him _pay _for what he did."

Everyone kept quiet, no one moved a muscle while Voight spoke. Not even Erin.

"O'Hare told us he's headed for gate 15, he's booked a flight under a fake name to Florida and we're gonna stop him. Do not, under any circumstances, let him get on that plane. Understood?"

This time there was a collective agreement.

"Good. Now let's go and get our revenge."

Erin and Voight got in the car and while he drove, she checked her phone for messages. Stupid and useless, of course. There was no way Burgess and Roman where at the hospital already. But she was dying to know how he was doing. She hoped and prayed the doctor was right and that Jay would pull through. Because even though there was no severe damage to his organs, that didn't mean he couldn't get an infection, or an internal bleeding they'd missed.

She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, before she opened them again and put her phone away. No messages and there would be none for the next hour or so. It was probably for the best, because she'd get distracted as soon as she knew how he was, if he was getting better or worse.

"Hey," Voight said, putting his hand on hers for a second. "You gotta put your faith in his doc, okay? He knows what he's doing. Jay has the best care possible, he'll be all right."

When she didn't answer him, he sighed and pulled back his hand.

"Look, I know you're scared to lose him. I get that. But he's a tough one, Halstead. He's not gonna go out so easily, you know that. You know him. So why don't you trust on that instinct?"

Erin looked at him, leaning her head against the headrest behind her. Voight was right, as usual. She knew Jay wouldn't give up without a fight, and neither would his body. He was strong and healthy, and those things would work in his advantage right now.

"You're right. Again. But it's just… I don't know how he's doing. I wish I could be at two places at once."

"I know… I know."

The remaining part of the ride went by in silence, and as soon as they got there, Erin got out of the car. She was the only one with an unfamiliar face. Vito hadn't seen her at his dealership so he wouldn't be on the lookout for her. She was the only one who could get close enough without him running at the first sight.

"Gate 15, right?" she asked one more time, and Voight nodded. They both had their badges and guns, and earpieces in place. Olinsky and Ruzek would make their way to the surveillance room right now, to make sure they had eyes on Vito. When they did, she and Voight would approach him from one side, while Antonio and Atwater took the other. Ruzek and Olinsky would make their way to the nearest entrance, so they'd cut off the easiest way to escape as well.

It had to work. It just had to. They'd been in worse situations.

While she and Voight made their way to the gate, she heard Ruzeks voice in her ear.

"He's waiting in line," he said, "ready to board. You guys have to hurry. He seems relaxed, though."

Erin exchanged looks with Voight, who was thinking the same thing as she was, probably.

"That sounds suspicious," she said. "All right, let's get this done. If he's relaxed, he's probably not expecting us. I'll approach him first, he doesn't know my face and he won't tie me to this morning."

"I'll be right behind you. I'm not letting him shoot another one of my people," Voight agreed.

They entered the hall near the gate not much later and Erin looked over at Antonio and Atwater, at the other side of the hall. They were both searching the crowd for Vito, until they spotted him and nodded at her. She followed their glance and that's when she saw him.

He was standing right behind and elderly couple. He matched the description and he was wearing the same clothes as that morning. She could only tell because she'd seen the photos of the security videos at the dealership.

They had him. It was over.

Erin reached for her gun and pulled it out of her holster, after she'd plucked her badge of her belt. Vito was standing with his back towards her so he would never see her coming. Good. She didn't want him to run. She wanted to be the one who caught him. She wanted to be the one to cuff him and throw him in the back of the car a little rougher than she had to. She wanted to hurt him for what he'd done to her Jay.

Very slowly she started to move in on him, gun pointed and her badge raised. The people waiting in line who saw her, were startled and some of them even gasped. Erin was sure Vito would hear the commotion behind him and start running, but for some reason he didn't.

And Erin didn't know why.

"Kyle Vito, CPD. Put your hands in the air right now! You're under arrest for running an illegal drug business and for the attempted murder on a detective," she yelled, closing in on him.

But Vito still didn't move.

"Kyle Vito, get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head!" she yelled at him again, covering the last meters between them. But still no reaction. It was like he was deaf, or maybe he was just taunting her, waiting for the last minute before he ran. Or maybe he was planning on suicide by cop, so they couldn't put him away for the rest of his life. Or maybe he knew all about Hank Voight and he knew what was coming for him. Maybe he _wanted _them to kill him right here and now because he didn't want to get beaten up.

"One last time, Vito," she hissed. "Put your hands behind your head."

Still no reaction. So she moved and put her gun against the back of his head before he could do anything. But he did nothing. Still nothing.

"Kyle Vito, you're under arrest," she said.

But then he turned around.

And she saw the reason why he hadn't responded to her. It felt like her whole world came crushing down around her, as if the ground beneath her feet started to crumble and she could collapse at any time. But she was too surprised, too shocked to say or do anything. She couldn't move.

The man with the scruffy beard and the blue eyes looked at her and smiled. And she knew she'd lost this round. That was bad. Real bad.

"Hello detective," the man said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Paul. I believe you're looking for my brother."


	10. Just in time

They had no reason at all to arrest Kyle Vito's brother Paul. They had nothing on him. No involvement in the drug business and nothing connecting him to the dead girlfriend either. But that didn't stop Voight from bringing him in.

He showed up next to her only seconds after she'd discovered it wasn't Kyle, but Paul. She didn't even realize he was there until she heard his all too familiar voice.

"Paul Vito, you're under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your head."

"What for?" the guy asked, turning around and putting his hands behind his head. At least he was cooperating thus far. She knew it was a long shot because Paul was probably protecting his brother, but if they could convince him somehow to help them find him…

"You're an accomplish to murder, as of now," Voight said, cuffing the guy and yanking him out of the line of waiting people, who were still waiting to board their plane. Some of them were definitely in shock, while others seemed to enjoy the moment. They'd probably never seen an arrest before.

"Okay, the show is over, " was the first thing she said. Voight was leading Vito's brother back to Atwater and Antonio and she made sure there was no footage of the arrest someone could spread. They had an advantage right now. If Vito found out they had his brother, he'd be on the move in a matter of seconds.

"If we find anything on social media, believe me, you're gonna be in a lot of problems," she warned everyone with a stern look on her face. She was dead serious about this. Of course, she knew it was only a threat and they'd probably have no plausible cause to turn her words into reality. All they could do was hope these people wouldn't be assholes.

Erin put her gun back in her holster and clicked her badge on her belt. Everything went back to normal, people started to board their plans and she and the rest of the unit started heading back to the main where they'd parked their cars.

Not much later, Voight put Paul Vito on the backseat of his car before he turned around to face her.

"Look, Erin, we only have 48 hours before we have to let him go. There's no way I can tie him to his brother's crimes without any proof. But believe me, I'll do anything I can with the time I have to figure out where that bastard is."

Erin nodded, not sure if they'd actually get some useful information out of Paul, because he'd seemed really startled when Voight brought up the murder charges.

"Do you think he knows his sister-in-law is dead?" she asked, wondering if there were other things Paul didn't know about his brother's life.

Voight shrugged, and turned around to walk back to his car.

"There's only one way to find out."

Just when she wanted to follow him and get into the car next to him, her phone rang. Immediately her mind went to Jay and she didn't know how fast she had to get her phone out of her pocket. Once she did, her heart missed a beat. It was Burgess. It was news about Jay.

She swiped her finger over the screen and pressed her phone against her ear immediately, holding up her hand as a sign for Voight to hold up and wait for her.

"Burgess? Is there any news?" she asked, the hope raising with every word she spoke. Deep down she knew it could be bad news as well. This could be one of those horrible calls where she didn't realize at first that she'd actually got _bad _news.

Voight turned around again and looked at her, both of his eyebrows raised high. He was waiting on an update on Jay as well. After all, Jay was one of his men. One of his own.

"Hey, Erin. I think you should get over here as soon as possible," Burgess said on the other end of the line.

"What? Is something wrong?" she said, swallowing hard, her hands trembling again.

"No… the opposite. He just woke up."

"He… what?" She couldn't quite comprehend it, for some reason. Jay was awake? Could that be true? For real? Oh dear god, she hoped it was true.

"Yeah, he's awake. Really." She could hear Burgess laugh a little and it made her own lips curl up into a smile as well.

"How… how is he? Is he doing okay? What did the doctor say?"

"Ehm, I haven't spoken to the doctor yet, they're still examining him. But I thought you'd want to know if he woke up. So… that's why I called. Maybe you should get over here as soon as possible so you can talk to them yourself."

Erin nodded, not realizing Burgess couldn't see her head gesture.

"Erin?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm on my way right now. But do me a favor and don't leave yet, will you?"

"Sure. No problem at all."

"Thanks, Kim."

She ended the call and put her phone back into her pocket, before she walked over to Voight who was waiting for her with that signature smirk of his on his face.

"I told you, he's a tough one. He ain't quitting that easy, Erin. You gotta know that by now."

"Yeah, you were right. As usual. That doesn't mean you're _always _right, though."

"It doesn't?"

"Nope." She punched his shoulder softly with her fist, before she laughed a bit. The first time she'd laughed in the last four hours and it felt good. She felt relieved. Hopefully they'd gotten somewhere with Paul by the time she'd be back at the precinct so they could actually go and arrest his brother. Because it seemed like Jay was getting better, she still wanted revenge for what happened to him.

"Go. Go see him," Voight said, eventually, his smirk turning into a sincere smile.

"You don't mind?" she asked, and she might not have said it with that many words, but she didn't just mean her leaving to go see Jay. No, she was talking about her dating Jay as well. Voight had his opinion about it in the past, something Jay had told her about numerous times. So she was surprised to notice that he didn't make an issue out of this.

"I don't," was the only thing he said, shaking his head, still smiling at her.

"Okay…"

"We'll talk about it later, kiddo. I think you have more important things on your mind right now than my opinion. You should go now. I'll take care of this guy. Hey, Atwater!"

Kevin walked up to them immediately, looking from Voight to Erin, and back to Voight again.

"What's up, Sarge? Something I can do for you?"

"Yeah, take Lindsay to Chicago Med immediately. Halstead woke up and she needs to be there."

"Sure. Come on, Linds. I'll take you right now."

"Thanks, Kev."

She exchanged looks with Voight one last time, before she followed Atwater to Antonio's car. She got onto the backseat and let out a deep sigh, while Atwater explained to Antonio they had to get her to Chicago Med pronto. For just a couple of seconds she closed her eyes, believing everything was eventually going to be okay. Until Antonio asked her something.

"What about your new job?" he asked, making her open her eyes immediately.

"What about it?"

"Shouldn't you be on your way to Washington right now?"

Erin bit her lip and stared out the window for a minute. She wasn't supposed to leave until tomorrow morning, but how could she leave when Jay was still in the hospital? And they had no guarantee Vito'd be in cuffs by the time she had to leave.

"I don't know, to be honest…" she muttered, barely loud enough for Antonio and Atwater to hear.

"So you're staying until we catch this guy?"

"Yeah." She'd answered before she could even think about it. "I can't leave like this, Antonio. You of all people should understand that." After everything he'd went through with Pulpo last year, it would be weird if he didn't understand what she was going through.

Except that he was the one who caught a bullet, not his wife. But he'd lost her anyways.

"I get it," he nodded, looking at her via the rearview mirror.

"Good. But I'd rather not talk about it right now, okay?"

"Sure, no problem."

She needed time to think about what she wanted. This morning everything had seemed so clear, she'd made her choice and she and Jay would figure out a way to make this work. But now she was not so sure anymore. And it was not just because Jay got shot. It was more than that. Working with this team, the people she got on her side. And not to mention Voight, who had her back no matter what. She wanted to be more like him and even though he'd basically made her into the woman she was today, she felt like there was so much more to learn from him. How was she going to do that when she was miles away?

It just didn't feel right anymore, for some reason.

"How long until we get to the hospital?"

"Just a couple of minutes, shouldn't take much longer."

Antonio was right. They pulled up in front of the entrance of the hospital only a couple of minutes later. Erin had opened the door before Antonio even got the chance to stop the car. Just before she got out, she looked at the two men in the front seats.

"Thanks, guys. Really. I'll have Burgess send you all an update on how he's doing. Keep us updated on how the case is coming along."

"Sure. Send Halstead our love, and tell him he can borrow that walker he got me last year if he ever gets out of that bed again," Antonio joked.

Erin rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You guys are all a bunch of giant five year olds. But sure, I'll be sure to give him your love, guys."

She got out of the car, closed the door behind her and didn't wait for her friends to ride off. She entered the hospital right away while she got her phone out of her pocket to see if Burgess had messaged her with Jay's room number. Which she had, fortunately.

They still had him on the ICU, which wasn't that odd. He'd only just woken up and he was still pretty weak, probably. A gunshot to the abdomen wasn't something you'd recover from in a few hours. It was a good thing they kept him on the ICU.

She took the elevator to the right floor and got off as soon as the doors opened, ready to ask the first nurse or doctor she came across where Jay's room was. But she didn't have to. The moment she set foot in the hallway, Roman came up to her.

"Hey," he said, "he's already asking for you. Seems like you're just on time."

"Yeah, thank god he's awake. Where is he?"

"Let me take you to him."

Erin followed Roman through the hallway and it couldn't go quick enough for her. That little trip down the halls from the ICU to Jay's room felt like an eternity, even though it didn't even took them a minute. She couldn't even describe the relief she felt the moment she walked into his room, and to see him alive and well.

Maybe not well, but at least he was alive.

Thank God.

"Hey," she said softly, smiling at him, sitting down next to his bed and grabbing his hand immediately. "I thought I'd lost you…"

Jay smiled as well, but she could see it cost him a lot of energy. So she squeezed his hand softly and raised it, to press her lips softly against his knuckles. Just like she did when she got here the first time, back when he was still unconscious.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Yes, she wanted him to rest and get better as soon as possible, but she wanted to hear his voice as well. No, she _needed _to hear his voice so she could convince herself that he was really awake.

"Like I've been shot from barely three feet away," he said under his breath.

She laughed softly and shook her head.

"Don't joke around, Jay. This isn't funny. God, I was so worried about you. And not just me, everyone was worried about you. They still are. But I'll call them later to tell them you're gonna be just fine."

Jay smiled again and closed his eyes again, not really answering her. As if he was still kind of out of it. That wasn't weird, right? After all, he'd only just woken up. Maybe he just had to get some sleep and he'd feel better tomorrow. She was going to be here when he woke up tomorrow, hopefully with some good news.

"Jay?" she called his name softly. "Are you tired? Do you want me to leave?"

But he didn't answer her and kept his eyes closed. Erin squeezed his hand once more, but he didn't respond to that either.

"Jay?" she said again, getting up off her chair and putting her hand on his forehead. She hadn't noticed before, but he felt really hot and clammy, as if he had a fever. Was that normal? Not in her book…

"Jay, can you hear me?" she said again, but still nothing. Erin started to panic and just when she wanted to push the button for assistance of a nurse, the monitor next to his bed he was attached to, started to beep in a different rhythm.

Oh god no…

"HELP!" she started yelling, before she pushed the button a couple of times and focused all of her attention on Jay again. He couldn't die on her. Not right now. This… no. She wouldn't accept it. He was strong. He could handle this. He had to.

"JAY!" She touched his face again, shaking at his shoulder, trying her best to wake him up. But she knew deep down inside that Jay wouldn't wake up because of her. She had to let the doctors do their thing, to fix him again so she could get him back.

"Miss, I need you to step back," a voice behind her called out.

Erin had no idea why because she was too shocked to do anything, but her body reacted and she stepped back, pressing her body against the wall while a team of doctors and nurses rushed in to keep their patient from dying.

They pulled back the blankets, cut open the gown he was wearing and tore up the bandages around his waist. They talked about an internal bleeding, something they'd missed. Something they had to fix right away. Something about her.

Erin did her best to keep breathing, to focus on what was going on, but she'd never felt so horrible ever before. Everything was a blur. All she could do was stare at Jay, who was so close to her yet so far out of reach. All she wanted was to help him get back to her, but there was nothing she could do.

The tears streamed down her face, when a nurse grabbed her arms forced her to look at her.

"They're doing everything they can to make sure he'll be all right, okay? Now, I need you to leave this room so the doctors can to their job."

Slowly she nodded, and the nurse let her outside of the room, before she went back in and closed the door behind her.

Erin knew that the moment she'd lose it, it'd cost her twice as much energy to pick herself up again, but she couldn't hold back any longer. She let herself slide down the wall, until she sat down on the floor and pulled her legs up. Before she even knew it, she was crying uncontrollably, burying her face in her arms. She wasn't one to break down in public, she really wasn't. But this was about Jay. And now she realized she could actually lose him, for real.

Last night she'd told him she wasn't ready to lose him, and she'd meant that. But she'd never thought it was going to be like this. Never.

Life had been good to her, for once. But it had only lasted for five minutes, or so it seemed.

**Sorry for getting your hopes up, guys! But I don't want to end this fic after only 11 chapters or so. So, as you probably know by now: Jay isn't out of the woods yet. Hope you still like it! **


	11. As simple as that

Erin had no idea how long she'd sat there. Her tears had dried up a long time ago, but her body ached in a way she didn't even know was possible. She just wanted it to stop, for everything to go back to normal.

For Jay to come back to her.

She'd pulled up her legs and her arms were lying around her knees while she stared to the wall on the other side of the hallway. The only thing she could do was just… sit here and wait. There was nothing else she could do, the nurses and doctors had made that much clear the moment they'd shoved her out of Jay's room. Of course, she couldn't blame them, they were just doing their jobs, but she wished she could do more than this.

"Erin…"

She looked up immediately and saw Voight walking towards her. He'd just gotten out of the elevator and the look on his face was worried. But not just worried; furious as well. Erin was passed those two emotions, all she felt was desperation and she couldn't deal with it at all. Everyone saw her as this strong independent woman, but she had her weaknesses as well. And Jay was one of them.

"Hank…" she said, her lip trembling before the tears rolled down her cheeks again.

He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder, sobbing into the leather of his jacket. He patted her on the back of her head and rubbed her back for a while, until he let go of her again.

Erin pulled back and wiped the tears from her face.

"How is he doing?"

She shrugged. She literally had no idea, no one would tell her anything, no matter hard she'd pressed them into telling her. They just wouldn't.

"Okay… I see. Let me go see if I can find out something about his condition, okay?"

Erin nodded and let go of him. She stared at his back as he walked away, on his way to find someone who could give them an update about Jay. She already knew there wasn't going to be any news. The doctors who'd sent her out of the room were still in there, working on him. Every now and then someone got out of the room and someone else went in. Everytime the door opened, Erin tried to look inside, but she saw nothing else than white coats and gloves covered in blood.

Jay's blood.

A shiver went down her spine and she shook her head. No, she had to stay positive. If Jay was really going to die, they would've told her by now already, wouldn't they? That was the only thing she could hold onto right now.

"I brought you some coffee."

Erin looked up again, to see Kim Burgess standing next to her. She and Roman where just on their way to the elevator when Jay crashed and she screamed for help. They'd turned around immediately and warned Voight and the others at the precinct that thing were worse now. Voight'd dropped everything to come over here, to be here for Jay and for her. The other were still back at the precinct, working the case. Erin had no idea who was interviewing Paul Vito now that Voight was here, but she honestly couldn't care less. At this point, Jay's health was her only priority. The others were capable enough to get that bastard without her.

"Thanks," she said, trying to smile but failing enormously. Burgess gave her the coffee and sat down next to her on the chair Voight'd sat only seconds ago.

"I know this must be hard on you…" she said, shaking her head.

"You have no idea," Erin replied, a bit sarcastically. "Ruzek is still up and running right now, he's not in here somewhere on the edge of dying."

"Wait- you know?"

"Of course I know." Erin shrugged, she didn't really care if she was being frank. Voight was the one who didn't tolerate in house relationships and she'd experienced that first hand. But now he seemed to be a bit more forgiving about that. Maybe because she was still leaving.

Was she?

"Who else knows?" Burgess asked, Erin could hear the fear in her voice.

"Oh don't worry. Voight doesn't know. Well, I think he doesn't know. But if he did, he doesn't care as long as you're not on the unit, I guess." She took a sip from her coffee and she had to say it felt good to think about something else for a couple of minutes. She just had to get her minds of things, before she went crazy and lost her mind out of desperation.

"I'm not even sure if I want to be in Intelligence anymore," Kim said, after a couple minutes of silence.

"You don't? I thought you wanted that more than anything?"

"Yeah, I used to. But I don't know. These last couple of months working with Roman have changed me a bit, I guess. He's showed me that being a street cop is as important as the work you do upstairs. Just because you have a higher rank doesn't mean my work doesn't matter."

Erin smiled and nodded.

"Well, Roman is a smart guy, he's totally right. We wouldn't be able to do what we did if there weren't any patrol officers."

"Yeah he is. He's really good at his job. I'm glad Platt partnered me up with him. Way better than the partner I had before him… That guy just pulled the car over and decided to have a nap."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. He literally pulled over and went to sleep."

They both laughed and Erin shook her head. She couldn't believe people like that actually existed.

And just for a moment she actually forgot about her worries. She forgot about her desperation because they still hadn't gotten an update about Jay. She forgot about the move to Washington she was supposed to make in the morning. She forgot about the other job that was waiting for her. But just for a second, because it didn't take long before the realization hit her again, as a slap in the face and a punch to the gut. Erin felt horrible and she wasn't even the one that got shot.

She let out a deep sigh and got up after she'd put her coffee on the small table beside her chair. All ten of her fingers ran through her hair before she started to pace up and down the hallway, not really knowing what she had to do.

The only thing she wanted to do was make all this better, make all the bad things go away. She was capable of handling evil, it only got so much more complicated when it concerned herself or someone close to her. And right now it couldn't get any closer to her than Jay did. It couldn't get any more personal.

She was just about to storm into his room to ask what was taking them all so long, when Voight walked up to her again, a concerned look on his face. Erin started shaking her head immediately, as if that would make the bad news go away. Because there was no way Voight was bringing her any good news. It was bad and she had to prepare herself for it, but she just couldn't.

"Don't say it-" she started, still shaking her head.

"Erin, his condition is very critical right now. They're keeping him unconscious so he won't get all worked up. He really needs to rest, his body needs to heal."

Voight put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her, not saying another word until she was ready to look at him and answer him. Erin stared at their feet long enough to get herself back together, before she raised her head and looked Hank in the eye. Slowly, she nodded. Of course she understood what was going on. It was not necessary bad news, but it wasn't good news either.

"It can go either way," she muttered eventually, nodding again and biting her lip to keep herself from crying again. Her eyes felt puffy and were probably red, but if she cried any more she'd be stuck with an enormous headache for the rest of the day. Her head needed to be clear and most of all headache free, if she wanted to help Voight and the rest of the team with catching this bastard.

"It could, but you need to stay positive, Erin."

"Can I go see him again?" she asked eventually. That was all she wanted, really. To hold his hand and kiss his face. To tell him he was going to be all right and that she was going to make this right. To beg him to stay alive because she needed him.

Because she wanted him in her life.

Because she loved him.

"I asked the doctor if you could. They told me it shouldn't be a problem, as long as you're not in there for too long."

Erin nodded again and let out a deep sigh again, slightly relieved she was at least able to see him again before she had to leave the hospital again.

"I won't take long, I promise. I just have to see him."

Voight put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the room they kept Jay in. She walked in, but he waited outside, giving her the space to talk to him without anyone listening. The doctors had left already and there was only one nurse left in the room, she was checking the monitors they'd hooked him onto again and the IV that led the medicine he needed directly into his bloodstream.

Erin pulled a chair up next to his bed again and she took his hand in hers for the third time that day. It felt cold and that made everything even worse. His hand usually felt so warm. All she could think of was when he had his hands on her body and touched her all over. How full of life he'd been last night. How full of love and full of passion. But now…

"Jay, please… if you can hear me. Come back to me, please. I can't do this without you. Or maybe I can, but I don't want to."

All she could do was talk to him. She wasn't a doctor and she had no idea what else to do. She wasn't even sure if he could hear her, but she'd rather believe that he could.

"I know I'm not the most… open person around," she started again, "but I need you, Jay Halstead. I really do. You mean so much to me… You're my best friend, my partner, my…" she searched for the right word but couldn't find it.

Boyfriend didn't seem to really cover how she felt about him. Boyfriend was a word you used in high school, at least it was in her book. There was so much more between them.

"I love you, Jay," she whispered softly, pressing his hand against her face and taking a deep breath again. She loved him so much that seeing him like this hurt more than if she'd actually get shot herself. She never wanted to see him like this ever again. Of course, she couldn't make that happen. She couldn't prevent this from happening again and Jay was a big boy. He could take care of himself, he didn't need her protection.

But there was one thing he needed from her.

Her support, her love.

And she would give that to him, gladly.

"I'm gonna leave now," she said eventually, putting his hand softly back on the bed. Determined, she got up again and touched his face just for a second.

"You do everything you have to, to get better, okay? Because I'm gonna kick your ass if you do."

She smiled and stroke his dark brown hair, before she pressed her lips against his forehead. For a second, Erin closed her eyes and she was thankful that she could still his skin under her fingers and her lips. That he was still her, he was still alive. Maybe his condition was critical, but he was still alive and that was the most important thing, right?

"You can beat this, babe. You can. I know you can. So show me what you got, okay?"

After looking at him for one last moment, she turned around and walked out of the room again without looking back. Because if she did she'd start crying again and she needed to focus right now. She needed a distraction and she knew just the thing.

Voight closed the door behind her as soon as she stepped onto the hallway and he beckoned Burgess over, who was still sitting in the chair she sat down in a couple of minutes ago.

"Sir?"

"Burgess, you and Roman stay here. Keep me posted on everything concerning Halstead's condition. Make sure you got his room covered, 24/7, you hear me?"

Erin agreed, nodding. That was one of the most important things right now and she knew Jay was safe in the hands of Burgess and Roman. They were both good police. Really good police.

"We don't know where Vito is momentarily," she began, finishing Voight's first thought. "Maybe he's coming here to finish the job. We have no reason to believe he will, but I don't wanna take any chances."

"Of course, not a problem at all. We won't take our eyes off of him. You can count on us."

"Good. Like I said, keep me posted. Let's go, Lindsay."

Erin and Voight left the hallway again and she didn't look back. Now that Jay's condition was worse, she was even more determined to find the bastard who did this to him. To them. Because if one member of their family bled, the whole family bled with them. It was as simple as that.

And the entire family would come together to do their best to bring this guy down. Whatever it would take. It was as simple as that.

Erin would do whatever it took, because the man she loved could be dying right now. It was as simple as that.

**The next chapter will contain more action. Thank you all for sticking with me! Hope to update BYP again somewhere this week!**


	12. Give us a possibility

"Listen, I had no idea Kyle was so violent! I'm not gonna lie, I knew about the drugs, but what did you expect me to do? Rat on him? He's my brother, for god's sake."

Erin had her arms crossed in front of her chest and leaned against the one way window. She had her eye focused on Paul, but she didn't say a word. Voight sat at the table across from their only lead to Vito's whereabouts and she knew he wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

Thank God.

Paul had to know _something _about where his brother could've gone to. A safe hideout, an apartment on the skirts of town, a private jet no one knew about stashed away somewhere. They were brothers, and if Kyle had gotten Paul to cover for him at the airport, he sure as hell knew more about his brother's life than he let out.

She'd insisted on being there when Voight interviewed him, but she'd kept her mouth shut thus far. Voight was capable enough of doing the talking, but if he wouldn't give up any information, she'd step in and play a different card. She'd give him a guilt trip he'd never get rid of until he told her where his brother was hiding. She didn't care about Paul's feelings. All she cared about was Jay and getting her revenge on Kyle.

"You see, Paul, can I call you Paul?"

"Sure, I guess," their suspects brother answered, clearly freaked out by all he was going through.

"Good. You see, Paul, I don't believe you when you say you don't know where he is. And I sure as hell don't believe you when you say you had no idea your brother was so violent."

"No, I swear, I –"

"That's bullshit, Paul! If you knew about the drugs, you had to know about his violent side as well. How do you think he ran that drug business? With handing out lollipops and candy canes? It doesn't work like that, Paul. And you don't strike me as the naïve guy who doesn't even know what it's like to run a drug empire."

Vito's brother was silent for a moment and stared at his cuffed hands on the table. Erin knew they didn't have the time to let him cook in his own misery for a while. The longer they waited, the more time Kyle had to get away. That was the one thing they wanted to prevent.

Voight apparently agreed with her, because he slammed his hand so hard on the table that it even startled Erin, and she was used to Voight's ways. Her boss and surrogate dad got up out of his chair so he towered over Paul Vito, who seemed to get smaller with every passing second. He probably was terrified. Good. Maybe he'd start talking now that he knew they were serious.

"You know Paul, I've got a lovely place downstairs for people like you. We like to call it the cage. It's where I take my suspects to get them to talk. It usually doesn't take long for them to open up once we get there. But you see, I'm saving that special spot for your brother. Because you know what he did?"

Voight opened the case file of Molly Vito, the girl who'd been Kyle Vito's young bride. The girl who died a violent death last night. The girl on whose body Kyle Vito's bloody fingerprints were found. He took the crime scene photo's out of the file and placed them in front of Paul Vito on the table.

"You knew her, Paul. She was your sister-in-law. She married your brother, who was much older than her, only a few weeks ago. You were at their wedding, you were Kyle's best man."

He pointed at a close up of Molly's face. She'd been beaten bloody and eventually Kyle'd used a knife to finish his work. It didn't matter how many dead bodies Erin had seen. It never got any simpler. She knew how to turn off her feelings towards the victims in order to do her job, but every time she saw something like this, she could feel her stomach turn. It just wasn't right. She'd only been 23 years old, way too young to die.

"This is what your brother did to her, Paul. He beat her until her face was beyond recognition and then he used a kitchen knife, probably a wedding gift, to make sure she was actually dead. Why? We don't know. Maybe because they had an argument or maybe because your brother is a psychopathic bastard."

Erin wasn't able to keep her mouth shut any longer. She walked towards the table and held still next to Voight, looking at Paul who stared at the pictures of his dead sister-in-law in anguish .

"She was only 23 years old, Paul. You knew her. You liked her. You maybe even loved her more than your brother ever did. But she's dead and gone and your brother killed her. We want to stop him before he hurts anyone else. There's already one person who died at his hand and numerous other people who died because of his drug. Not to mention the detective of our unit who's fighting for his life right now in the hospital."

Paul finally looked up, tears in his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I get it, you want to protect your brother. But the simple truth is that he doesn't deserve your protection, Paul. If you'd told us sooner about him, maybe we would've been able to prevent Molly's death. But you can help us prevent other unnecessary deaths right now. Just tell us where he is."

She placed both of her hands on the table and leaned forwards, her face on the same level as his. She knew they'd hit a nerve. It seemed like Paul was almost ready to talk. All he'd needed was a little push in the right direction.

"I… I don't know exactly," he said eventually, shaking his head rapidly, tears streaming down his face. Something told Erin she'd been right about him and Molly. Maybe that was the reason why Vito had killed her and send his brother as bait to the airport so Paul would disappear behind bars while Kyle himself got away.

"Just give us a possibility," Erin said, nodding and trying to make him feel a little bit more comfortable.

"Okay… well, he has a couple of safehouses all over the city. My guess is that he's hiding out there somewhere while he's waiting for a new identity to make him disappear forever."

"Do you have a list of these addresses?"

Paul nodded and it felt like a burden felt of Erin's shoulders. They were getting closer. This bit of information could help them get to Vito. But they had to hurry. It was getting later and later and she doubted that Kyle was going to stick around that long. He would get out of town without a problem if he had a new identity. All he had to do was dye his hair and put on a pair of glasses, shave his beard and get a fake id and he would be out of their sight before they could even blink.

"Good, write them down."

Voight almost shoved the piece of paper and the pen in Paul's face and then crossed his arms, waiting for their prisoner to write down every single address he got on his brother.

"Look, if this works out we'll cut you a deal, make sure you get off easy. But it better work. I got one of my men in the hospital right now and I can't lose him. If he dies and we can't find Vito, I'll happily pin his death on you, do you understand?"

Erin swallowed and bit her lip, trying not to react to Voight's words. She'd known there was a possibility Jay would die, but she'd ignored it until know. What if he didn't make it? What if he started bleeding from the inside again and the doctors wouldn't be able to fix him? Or what if he bled out before they could even get to him?

No. She couldn't think like that. Just because there was a possibility, didn't mean it would actually happen. There was also the possibility Jay would make a full recovery and she had to keep that in mind. She had to stay positive. She had to keep faith.

After a couple of minutes, Paul was done writing the list and he pushed the piece of paper towards Voight again. The fear of being locked up for the rest of his life, or worse, dying, was written all over his face. Erin wanted to say she felt sorry for him, but the truth was she didn't. If he'd just went to the police sooner to tell them about his brother's illegal activities, Molly would still be alive and Jay wouldn't be in the hospital right now. Maybe she would see things in a different light once this was all over and done with, but right now she couldn't.

She just couldn't.

"I need to make a phone call," she told Voight, before she left the interrogation room without waitig for an actual answer from her boss. All she could think about was that she had to call Burgess to check up on Jay. She'd had this horrible feeling in her gut ever since she and Voight'd left the hospital, and she just needed to be sure he was still okay.

The minute she stepped out onto the hallway, she took her phone out of her pocket and searched for Burgess' number in her phone. When she found it, she didn't hesitate for a second and pressed the green button, holding her phone against her ear and waiting for Kim to pick up.

"Burgess."

"Kim, hey, it's me, Erin. I just… I need to know how he's doing? Is he still okay?"

"Yeah. He is. He's still unconscious but the doctors tell me they're keeping him like this for a while, they'll wake him up once they're sure he's out of danger. But it seems like he's doing okay this far. They've got a nurse keeping an eye on him constantly so there's no need to worry."

Erin sighed relieved. She felt a bit guilty for not being at the hospital right now, but she knew she could do more good here than over there. She wasn't a doctor, she was a detective. And for her the best way to deal with her emotions was to go after the son of a bitch who'd gotten them into this mess in the first place.

And to be honest, she wanted this revenge more than anyone on their squad.

"Thank God…"

She rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes for a second, appreciating the fact that they'd actually decided to keep an even closer eye on him. He'd already been on the ICU, where every patient was being monitored closely.

"He'll be fine, Erin. He will be. You've gotta believe that."

"I know… I know. Just keep an eye on things, okay?"

"Of course we will, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"You're right, I'm sorry," Erin sighed, lowering her hand and opening her eyes again. She was worried and an emotional wreck, but it was not right to question the abilities of her colleagues. Especially Burgess and Roman, two great patrolmen who knew what they were doing.

"Don't worry about it. You can call me whenever you want, but believe me when I say that I'll call you as soon as there's a change. For worse or for the better."

Erin nodded, even though Kim couldn't see that. She was right. She needed to focus on catching Vito. If there was any change to Jay's condition, she would hear about it immediately. And it wouldn't take her that long to get to the hospital, hopefully.

"All right. Thanks again, Kim. I owe you and Roman big time."

"No you don't. Jay's our colleague and friend as well. We want to help. It's our job."

"Thanks."

She hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket, before she walked back to the interrogation room where Voight had just closed the door behind him.

"We got every single secret address Vito has, so we're gonna check them all out at the same time. I want you to come with me." He didn't even had to say why: he wanted to keep an eye on her in case they found Vito at the address they went to. But deep down she knew that Voight wouldn't stop her if she wanted to punch him in the face and knock a couple of his teeth out. She knew he would let her do what she wanted.

And at the same time, a question popped up in her mind: what would Jay want? She remembered when Antonio'd been shot by Pulpo. Voight and Olinsky'd been planning on making the bastard disappear forever, but Jay had stopped them because it wasn't right. It wasn't morally and ethically right. A light smile appeared on her face, just thinking about him and his morals made her smile. Jay Halstead was a good man and he didn't deserve all this. He deserved much better.

"Okay," she nodded eventually, turning around and walking back to the bullpen with Voight. "But we can't hurt him that bad," she decided.

Voight raised an eyebrow and held still.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know if you actually forgot or if you're acting like you don't remember, but Jay would want to see him disappear behind bars. He wouldn't want to see him end up dead on the bottom of the river. You know that, Hank. He wouldn't be on board with this. And no matter how bad I want to hurt Vito, I gotta honor Jay's wishes. This is about him, not about us."

Voight just looked at her, reading her face, until he eventually nodded in agreement.

"You're right, he wouldn't be on board with this. Come on."

They entered the bullpen, where the rest of the team was waiting for them. Voight held up the note with the addresses Paul Vito had given them. They'd leave the precinct in teams of two with some officers as back up, to go check out the places Vito could be hiding out.

"These are all addresses Vito could be hiding out. I want you guys to check these all out immediately. Olinsky, you're with Ruzek. Antonio and Atwater, you two team up as well. Me and Lindsay'll work together. There's about five addresses on here, so we'll have to work fast. Make sure you keep your radios open. I want an update as soon as you've found something. And when you do find Vito, make sure you take him in alive and well. We want to see him disappear behind bars for the rest of his live. We want to make him pay for what he did, remember? Do not give him the pleasure of a quick death."

Voight gave every duo an address to check out, before they all left the precinct to go their separate ways. Everyone was wearing their earpieces, so they'd stay in contact throughout the entire operation. If one of the other duo's found Vito, they'd know immediately.

All Erin could do was hope and pray this would work because she couldn't deal with it if Vito got away. Not just because their hope on revenge would be lost, but also because Vito was bound to start his business all over again somewhere else, making new victims. Because someone like him couldn't stop.

Erin got into Voight's car again, fastening her seatbelt and looking at the man who was sitting next to her. He kept his eye on the road but nevertheless Erin could see he was keeping something from her.

"Hank," she said eventually, waiting for him to react.

"What?" He looked at her, only for a second, but it was long enough for Erin to confirm her hunch.

"What are you not telling me?"

"Nothing –"

"Don't lie to me, Hank. Just tell me. If It's about Jay…"

"It's not about Jay, it's about Vito."

Erin raised an eyebrow, not really sure what to expect from this.

"Just after you left, Paul confessed something else. He told me that his brother is the type of guy who doesn't let go that easily. He's determined, he's a survivor. He doesn't like loose ends."

Erin still had no idea where Voight was going with this. What did this mean? Was this supposed to freak her out?

"So what are you trying to say?"

Voight said nothing for a while and that made her more nervous than the fact that Vito was still out there and might be able to get away unharmed.

"Erin, Vito told Jay that if he found out he couldn't trust him, he'd be a dead man."


	13. This guy's a ghost

**I know I haven't updated BYP in almost two weeks, so I hope you guys'll like this chapter! I've been quite busy the past few days and while I do have a lot of inspiration for this story, I just couldn't find the time to write it. I promise to do my best & update chapter 14 asap!**

"What do you mean?"

Erin stared at her boss in disbelief, wondering what the hell to think of this. Voight wasn't one to joke around, especially not when it concerned one of his own. So did this mean Jay was in more danger than they'd thought? Had her hunch been right when she'd told Burgess and Roman to stay put in the hospital to watch out for him?

"I don't know, Erin," Voight said, shaking his head and keeping his eyes focus on the road.

"It could mean a lot of things. Maybe Vito is still after Jay, to tie up the loose ends, but it would be one hell of a risk. Jay's a cop, he's being watched 24/7, Vito knows that."

"So what now?"

Erin started to feel more and more uncomfortable, and it bugged her that they still didn't have any real leads on that bastard. She wanted to punch something so bad, just to get her anger out, because right now the only thing she was feeling was anger towards Vito.

But fear was seeping through the cracks and her heart was beating faster every minute. The air felt thicker, somehow, it was making it harder for her to breathe. She knew it was all between her ears, that she had to stay calm and focus on what they did know, before she had another nervous breakdown. Because if she did have one, she wouldn't be able to catch Vito or help Jay.

She wanted to believe with all her heart that Jay was safe, that nothing bad was going to happen to him, that this whole situation couldn't get any worse, but her mind told her otherwise.

Vito wasn't to be trusted, and he was unpredictable from what she'd gathered. The possibility that he was going after Jay to finish what he started wasn't exactly a small one.

"Now, we go check out these addresses to either find Vito or more about his whereabouts. Don't you worry about Jay, Erin. Burgess and Roman are both good police and they're with him right now. I've already told them to keep their eyes on him, to make sure he's safe and no one gets in or out without their permission."

Erin just nodded.

That information should probably make her feel better, but it didn't. Instead she felt worse. So she closed her eyes and covered them with her hand, while she let her elbow rest against the window.

"Erin? Are you all right? I've never seen you like… this."

It took a while before Erin got herself to open her eyes, to look at him. She was just so tired of worrying, tired of not knowing what to do or how to help Jay best.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she eventually said, forcing herself to look at her boss, giving him the slightest smile she'd ever shown anyone. But of course he didn't believe her. Voight knew her like no one else did and he knew exactly when something was wrong.

"I've seen you upset before. Heck, I've seen you in tears a lot of times. But this? I've never seen you like this. It's almost like you're not yourself."

She sighed, shook her head and leaned a bit more into the headrest behind her, staring at the road ahead of them through the windshield. She didn't say anything for a while and Voight gave her the space to let her think of the words. And if she didn't want to say a word, he wouldn't push her to tell him either. But she knew she could trust him with this. He'd have her back, like he always did.

So of course she opened up to him.

"You don't know what it felt like," she started, shaking her head again and biting her lip for a split second. "To be in there, seeing him like that, so vulnerable and… fragile. For a second I thought he was going to be all right… and then he crashed."

When she looked at Voight, he was looking at her. He didn't know what it'd felt like, or how she felt right now. But he knew what it was like to lose someone.

"Go on, get it out of your system," he encouraged her, before he aimed his focus on the road again.

"I couldn't move anymore, Hank. I… I never realized how much he means to me. Or maybe I did, but I just… refused to admit it to myself. It wasn't until last night that I realized that I would miss him most of all when I left town. I wasn't ready to lose him, so I gave in to my feelings. I gave in to him and it was... great. It felt better than with any guy I've ever been with, Hank. It really did."

A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn't even feel it. Her mind had gone back to Jay again and when she saw his smile in her memories, her lips automatically curled up in a smile.

What she wouldn't give to see that smile again.

"You're not going to lose him, Erin. I will remind you of that a thousand times if I have to, but you're not going to. I won't let him die, no matter what. The doctors will do their best to save his life, to keep him alive. And _we _will do our best to catch this psychopathic drugdealer with a grudge against cops before he can do anything else, you understand me?"

Erin nodded. Oddly, Voight constantly reminding her of what was going to happen according to him, did make her feel better. It kept her focused, it kept her mind set on their goal. They were going to catch this guy, they had to. But she couldn't do it if she wasn't focused. She had to pull her head out of Jay's room at Chicago Med.

She let out another sigh, closed her eyes for a second and then nodded again.

"You're right. We're going to solve this. We're going to get this done before anything else happens."

"Damn straight."

Only a couple of minutes after that, they arrived at the first address on their list. Erin could only hope Vito was still here. She wanted to catch this guy and the sooner the better. If they let him get away again, all of this could end very badly and she really wanted to avoid that.

As soon as Voight parked the car, Erin threw open the door and got out, pulling her gun out of her holster and looking at her boss and partner over the roof of the car. He just nodded at her and started walking towards the entrance of the building. Erin followed him, tightening the grip on her gun. She knew there was only a slim chance they'd actually find Vito right now. He might be a drugdealer, but he was a smart one. He knew they'd find these addresses sooner or later, so he wouldn't be sitting right here as bait, waiting for them to come and arrest him. And even if he did, he would probably shoot his way out of there, just like he did at the dealership. He would take as many cops down with him as possible. Erin knew that much.

But she wasn't gonna let anyone else get hurt. Not today. Not on her watch. She felt the adrenaline rush through her body while she followed Voight to the door. It felt good to have her focus back, to be able to put her worries aside, even if it was for only just a couple of minutes.

Her worries about Jay were still there, obviously. She would never be able to forget about him, not while he was in the hospital, fighting for his life.

"We're not waiting for back-up?" she asked Voight, already knowing what he would answer her.

"Do you think he's actually in there?"

Erin shook her head. That possibility was almost non existant. Vito must have known that his brother would break eventually, she was pretty sure one of the reasons why Vito killed his wife and used his brother as bait, was because he knew about their affair.

"Well then, let's see if we can find anything in there. He might have used is as a midway place, he might have left some evidence here and we can sure as hell use a couple of leads."

"Alright, do it," she said, determined.

Voight held still next to the front door and knocked a couple of times.

"Kyle Vito? This is the police, open up!" No answer, as expected.

"Open up, Chicago PD!" Voight yelled again, but still no answer. When it still remained silent on the other side of the door when they called out a third time, they had no other choice than to kick in the front door. And she knew her boss would do that with pleasure.

Within a couple of seconds the wooden door flew out of his placeholders in a rain of splinters and she and Voight immediately started moving. He went straight for the living room, while she took a turn to the left and ended up in a small bedroom. There was nothing here that indicated that Vito had been here in the past few hours. The bed was made, the doors of the closet were closed… there was even a small layer of dust on the nightstand.

"Clear!" she yelled back to Voight, before she turned around and made her way back to the hallway.

"Clear!" Voight yelled back only a second later, telling her with only one word that they had been right all along. Vito wasn't here and he probably never had been.

Erin checked the bathroom and the other doors in the small hallway, but nothing was out of the ordinary, nothing told her that Vito had been here.

"Do you think he used this place?"

Voight shook his head, walking back to the front door, stepping through what was left of the door post. They would call this in, cross this address of the list and go on to the next one. They had to keep moving before it was too late and Vito had done something none of them could undo.

She followed him, while she activated her earpiece and told the others they'd found nothing so far.

"Nada," she said, "so this was a bust. Please tell me any of you have found something useful."

"Sorry, Erin. Nothing here," Antonio said.

"It's like this guy's a ghost," Atwater chimed in.

"There's got to be something," Voight said the moment Erin reached the car again. He looked pissed. Hell, he was pissed. Just like she was, and she just knew the rest of the team was mad as well. They had nothing to work on and it was frustrating. For all of them.

"How about you, Olinsky? Find anything useful?" Voight asked, and Erin got in the car again, waiting for Voight to get in as well so they could get a move on and drive over to the next address on their list. She didn't want to waste any more time if it wasn't necessary. Jay was still in danger, and she wouldn't be able to breathe normally if this Vito guy was still out there.

"You guys might wanna come over here as soon as possible," Ruzek suddenly said.

Erin's heart skipped a beat. Did they find something they could use? Did they find Vito's whereabouts, a laptop which he used to book a flight under a false name. False passports, an off shore bank account. Anything at all. Anything they could use to track this bastard down and nail him for dealing, murder and attempted murder on an officer.

"What is it Ruzek," Voight asked. However, it was more demanding than asking and Erin couldn't agree more. She wanted to know right now what they'd found, there was no time to play guessing games and Ruzek knew that. So why was he stalling?

Eventually, it was Olinsky that told them what they'd found.

"Pictures," he said, the tone of his voice was flat and she knew they weren't the fun kind of pictures.

"What kind of pictures, Al?" she asked, already knowing she wasn't going to like the answer he'd give her.

"Us. You. Jay. In the hospital, at the airport… He's watching us. He's watching our every move. He's got eyes everywhere."

Erin couldn't speak. It felt like she couldn't even breathe. She just stared at nothing in particular, without even seeing anything.

How were they supposed to catch a guy who was one step ahead of them every time? How was she supposed to protect Jay from him? And did she just put Roman and Burgess in the crossfire as well?

She shook her head, closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She just couldn't believe this was all really happening. Right now, just when she'd thought she had her life in order. Everything went to shit.

She didn't open her eyes until she felt Voight's firm hand on her shoulder. Slowly, Erin turned her head a bit and looked at him, a desperate look in her eyes.

"I've said it before and I will say it again. I don't care how many times I have to say it. We will catch this guy. We will keep Jay alive. You hear me?"

Erin nodded. It was all she could do, really.


	14. Not as important as you

His head had never felt this heavy before. As if he was hung over, but ten times as worse as that. There was no way in hell he could get his eyes open, even though he knew somewhere deep inside that it was important that he did. His headache didn't make it any easier, it felt like there was someone in his head, banging on the inside of his skull with a hammer.

But his head wasn't even the worst part.

His entire body hurt. Badly.

It felt like it was impossible to move a limb, or even a muscle.

There were sounds nearby, beeping. He was vaguely aware of that, but he couldn't place them.

Slowly but surely, it was all coming back to him. Bit by bit, not all at once. He remembered Erin, he saw her face and heard her voice. But it didn't take long before the memory of her disappeared and another memory showed up. A less pleasant one.

One involving a gun and getting shot.

He got shot. And now he was in the hospital. He had to be.

_Come on, Jay, open your eyes. You need to wake up. Don't be a wuss._

When he finally did manage to open his eyes, he stared at a white ceiling above him. He could hear the beeps and sounds of the machines they'd attached his body to. Machines that had kept him alive.

He swallowed, but his throat was so dry that he wasn't even able to. He coughed a bit and tried to turn his head, to look for the red button to call in some help, but that wasn't going to work either. It felt like his entire body was made of stone, or that somebody had chained him to weights so heavy that he couldn't even turn his head.

So instead he tried talking. Useless, of course. If swallowing was able, how would talking be a good idea? Yeah, clearly that wasn't going to work either.

He was running out of ideas and just about to give up, when the door of his room opened.

"You're awake," an unfamiliar voice said.

Jay nodded, that was basically all he could do to answer the person walking into his room. It turned out to be a nurse. She called a doctor right away, but decided to help him out. She was here anyways and he could use some help.

She checked his iv and gave him some more morphine.

"This will probably make you a little fuzzy and sleepy," she said, smiling a little, "but it's better than the pain you're feeling right now, believe me."

Jay nodded again and started coughing. He pulled a face when his throat started to hurt and immediately the nurse walked away. A couple seconds later she was back with a glass filled with water and put a straw in it. Slowly and carefully, she put the straw between his lips and helped him drink a bit.

Jay closed his eyes and drank some more, relieved to be able to drink something, to soothe the pain. He'd never appreciated water as much as he did now. He would never, _ever, _take it for granted again.

Eventually, the nurse pulled the straw away and Jay opened his eyes. She put the glass on his nightstand and smiled at him again, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"It's really good to see you awake," she said, "I'm sure your girlfriend will be relieved to hear it."

_Erin. _

"She… she was… here?" he asked, his voice sounded hoarse, it didn't sound like his own voice at all.

"Yep, she's been here a couple of times. She demanded to see you and she sat by your bed a few times. I could tell she didn't want to leave, but she had to. She left with an older man."

_Voight. _They were going after the guy who'd shot him, that was pretty obvious. He appreciated that, he truly did. But he just didn't want them to do anything he wouldn't do. He remembered what happened last time one of their own was involved and this time he wouldn't be able to stop them.

"Mr. Halstead, you're awake." Another, unfamiliar voice. An unfamiliar face as well. But it was a man in dark blue scrubs, a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck. Jay could do the math. That man was his doctor, surgeon most likely.

"I am," he said, still not sounding like himself. It bothered him, for some reason. Just like it bothered him that he wasn't able to move, to get up, to get out of bed.

"It's good to see you're doing better," he said, "You look better than the last time you woke up."

Jay didn't understand. The last time he woke up? Did he block that? He couldn't remember it…

"Mr. Halstead, you've been really, _really_, lucky. The bullet didn't do too much damage to your vital organs, so we were able to stop most of the internal bleedings the first time. Unfortunately, we'd missed one and you crashed, just moments after you woke up for the first time. It's not uncommon that people who do crash at some point, don't remember everything that's happened before. Because of the loss of blood."

Jay nodded, even though the information the doctor told him went straight past him. He had no idea what the man was talking about. Maybe it was because he'd only just woken up, or maybe it was because the medicine started to kick in again. The nurse'd told him it would make him a bit fuzzy.

"We've kept you unconscious for the past few hours, to make sure we'd fixed every bleeding inside of you. We've run some tests, and we did. So it seems to me you're quite stable at the moment. We do want to keep you here for a couple of days, to keep an eye on you. It's better to recover here than at home."

And again, Jay nodded. He didn't know what else to do. His head still felt heavy as a stone and it was harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Maybe it was for the best if he went back to sleep, rest some more. Everything would be better if he'd slept a couple of hours.

"Okay…" he muttered, yawning, and immediately regretting it because of his sore throat.

"All right, we'll make sure your next of kin will be notified-"

"Erin," Jay muttered again, closing one eye and keeping the other open, to look at his doctor. "All I want… is Erin."

He didn't wait for an answer. He didn't have the energy to do so. So instead, Jay closed his eyes and it didn't take long for him to drift off and fall asleep again. This time, without crashing. This time, without starting to bleed from the insides of his body.

This time, he fell asleep safely.

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes again, someone was sitting next to his bed. It took a while before he was able to focus and keep his eyes open, but when he did he knew immediately that it was Erin. It couldn't possibly be someone else.<p>

And when she took his hand in his, he knew for sure.

He smiled, and turned his head a bit, feeling much better than a couple of hours ago when he'd first woken up. This time, it was dark in the room and he couldn't really see her face until she leaned in and pressed her soft, warm lips against his knuckles.

Somehow, he knew that feeling. It felt familiar. But she was familiar, and he was thankful to see her.

"God, I thought I'd lost you," she muttered, and he could hear her voice tremble. Erin wasn't one to show emotions for no apparent reason. She hadn't been crying when Antonio got shot, or even when Voight had been abducted and beat up. This was the first time he'd seen her like this, apart from the entire case in New York with her brother.

But that had been different.

"I'm right here," he answered her, before he started coughing again.

"Could you-"

"Yeah, no problem."

Erin let go of his hand and grabbed the glass of water with the straw still in it from the sidetable, and helped him drink. That felt much better, again. When she'd put the glass back, she immediately grabbed his hand again, as if she was afraid she was still going to lose him.

But he was doing better, right? The doctor had said he was stable, he was going to be okay eventually. He just had to stay here for a while longer, to recover from his injuries. Maybe he even had to do some physiotherapy. And even though that was the last thing he wanted to do, he knew there was no way in hell he could go home right now. He was too weak, too vulnerable.

He hated it, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Have you caught the guy yet? Vito?" he asked her. His voice sounded a bit more like his own than it did this afternoon, but it still felt weird. Then again, his entire body didn't feel like his own. God, he couldn't wait to get better again, to be fully recovered. To get out of here.

Erin shook her head and let out a deep sigh.

That wasn't a good sign, not at all.

"What is it?" he asked, but she didn't answer. So something was wrong.

"Erin… I'm not a little boy, I'm a grown up guy, you don't have to protect me. I can take it. What is it? Did Voight put a bullet in his head and dumped him in the river down at the docks?"

"God, Jay…" she shook her head and sighed again, it was obvious that she was conflicted about telling him whatever was going on.

Didn't she see that he deserved to know? After all, he was the one who got shot by the bastard. Not her or anyone else. Him. He wanted to know if the case was solved, one way or another. Knowing that the person who'd shot him was behind bars (or dead) would most likely help him recover.

"It's not that," she said, shaking her head.

"Then what is it?" She held his hand, be he was able to squeeze her fingers a bit. "Come on, Erin. Talk to me. What is it? I can _see _it's bothering you. Let me help…"

"You can't," she said, while reaching down and pulling something out of the pocket of her vest. It looked like a photograph. What did a photo have to do with Vito or the case?

"We don't have Vito, Jay. He's still out there, somewhere. We traced him to O'Hare, but when we got there he was nowhere to be found. Instead, we got his twin brother. He gave us the addresses of some of Vito's hideouts, but of course he wasn't there when we got there. Except…"

Jay raised an eyebrow.

"Except what?"

Erin showed him the picture, and for a minute he didn't know what to say. It was a picture of him, in the hospital, with Erin sitting right next to him, holding his hand. It was probably taken from the other side of the street, from another building that looked out on the hospital and his room.

"How…"

"He left it, for us. He's one step ahead of us, every time." She bit her lip and closed her eyes, probably to fight off the tears.

"Hey," he said, lifting up his free hand and reaching for her face. It hurt to do so, but it was worth it. He hated it to see her like this, so desperate. Everything would be all right. They had the best team, the best officers the CPD had to offer. They were going to figure this out.

"Hey," he said again, waiting for her to open her eyes. And when she did, he smiled at her. She smiled back, even though he wondered if she really meant it. He could see the worry in her eyes and he wished he could take it all away. But he couldn't.

"It's gonna be all right, no matter what's going on…"

"No," she said, shaking her head again and putting her free hand on his fingers he'd put on her cheek.

"He's coming for you, Jay. He's coming for you and I don't know how to stop him."

Jay pulled his hand back, looking at her with a confused look on his face. What did she mean by that? He was coming for her? Who was coming for her? Vito? That low life drugdealer who'd shot him?

Why would he come back for him?

"What… what do you mean, Erin?"

"It means that he doesn't like loose ends. Apparently he told you he'd kill you if it turned out he couldn't trust you. And then he found out you were a cop."

"Yeah, but he already shot me."

"But you didn't die, Jay."

"Damn straight I didn't. And I'm not going to either."

She let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyed, letting go of his hand and leaning against the back of the chair, still watching him.

"I'm sure you guys will catch him before he can even get in here. There're two cops outside my door, he's not getting in here."

Erin didn't answer him and now it was Jay's turn to let out a sigh.

"Erin, what if he's just fucking with your head? What if those pictures don't mean anything? I'm pretty sure his life means more to him than killing me does. Besides, what is he afraid of? That I'm gonna give the cops information on him? The entire team walked into his garage _before _he even shot me. They already know what kind of scum he is. Killing me won't stop that, he knows that."

Slowly but surely, she started to agree with him. She nodded and squeezed his hand again, giving him another one of her smiles. This time it felt like it was a real one, not forced.

"What about the spot he took this pic from?"

"Antonio, Atwater and Ruzek are over there right now, checking it out. Hopefully they'll find something. Voight is talking to Vito's brother again. We've got eyes everywhere, he can't leave the city without us knowing it."

Jay laughed a bit, but it hurt so he made a face and coughed. Not a great choice.

"Now, can we focus on something else?" he asked her, smiling back at her.

"Yes, we can. Like making sure you're getting enough sleep."

"Geez, Erin…"

"No, Jay. No buts. You're going back to sleep whether you like it or not. Should I call in the nurse for a sedative?"

"You're unrelenting."

She laughed, and it was wonderful to hear. Like music to his ears. He loved her laugh, and her voice, and her beautiful, perfect face. In fact, he loved everything about her. But he didn't have to tell her, she already knew.

"Yes, I am. Now promise me you'll get some sleep? You might feel better now but that doesn't mean you _are._"

"Well, if you insist..."

If he was being honest, he could definitely use some sleep. His entire body could use some more rest. Not to mention his head. Fortunately, the headache had gone away, but he still felt like crap. Erin was right, as usual. But he wasn't going to say that out loud, she might remember it for the rest of her days and remind him of it every single time they had an argument.

"I do."

She got up and leaned towards him, kissing him on his forehead longer than was necessary. She was still worried about him, he could feel it. Not that she should, he was going to be all right. They both were.

"My forehead is more attractive than my lips?" he asked, teasing.

She laughed again and lowered her face a bit, to kiss him shortly on his lips. It felt like a century ago since he'd last felt those perfectly full and warm lips on his. He loved the feeling.

"All right. Now go get some rest. I'll come and check up on you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay."

He looked at her, when she walked to the door, opening it. But before she left, she looked back at him one last time. She smiled, again. And he smiled back, again.

"What about your other job?"

She shrugged. Maybe she didn't know, maybe she didn't care.

"It's not as important as you are."

With those words, she left him alone in his room, closing the door behind her. Probably making sure Burgess and Roman – he'd figured they were outside his room, who else would it be? – would call her as soon as something happened.

Not that anything was going to happen.

Right?

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you all SO much for the follows and the faves and the reviews! I appreciate it a lot. I try to update BYP as often as I can, but unfortunately I have workschool and Christmas is coming up as well! But I'll do my best. Thank you all for your support, I hope you liked this chapter! I felt like it was time to bring a little Jay back into the game, I missed writing him :)**


	15. We need to go

**First of all, I'm so sorry for this extremely late update! But I'm trying to graduate and I work 3 days a week, so my life is pretty busy right now. Secondly, thank you all SO much for sticking with me, and for all the faves, follows & reviews. You guys are really, truly amazing! Hope you like the chapter.**

* * *

><p>It felt wrong to go home and leave all that happened today behind her, but Erin didn't really have another option. They wouldn't let her stay in the hospital because even though Jay was out of danger, his condition was still pretty unsure. Not stable enough.<p>

No matter how bad she wanted to stay with him; she couldn't, and she had to accept that.

Kim would call her the moment something went wrong, or something happened, so she just had to trust on her. There was nothing left to do for her today, except get a good night's sleep.

"Hey, we'll find this guy before he can hurt Jay," Voight said, making Erin turn her head and look at her boss, a glance of uncertainty in her eyes.

Vito had been a step ahead of them this whole time. Normally, she wouldn't doubt the abilities of the team. She didn't know either, but this time she was personally involved in the case, and the thought of possibly losing Jay even when he was doing better, was eating her from the inside out.

She just nodded, and didn't answer Voight, who'd driven her home. He'd parked in front of her building and now he was waiting for her to get out of his car. On her own terms, of course. He wouldn't hurry her, he never did.

Both of them were silent for a while, just trying to comprehend all that had happened in the last twelve hours. Erin felt like she'd ended up in a rollercoaster, somehow. And she had no idea how to stop it.

"You can stay at my place," Voight offered, breaking the silence.

"There's plenty of room at the house and you wouldn't be alone. I think you could use some company right now."

Slowly, Erin nodded, agreeing with him. She'd give anything not to be alone right now. She craved a glass of whiskey – pure, not diluted with water.

"All right, just... let me grab some of my things. I'll be right back."

"You want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I'm good. Just wait here."

Now it was his turn to nod. Erin unbuckled her seatbelt and swung open the door, setting her feet on the pavement immediately. It was pretty chilly outside, so she didn't linger and walked straight up to the entrance of her building. All she had to do was grab a new set of clothes, some underwear, her toothbrush and other make-up things. She'd be back downstairs before Voight knew it.

Of course Jay wouldn't leave her mind while she made her way up to her apartment, she didn't expect him to. As long as Vito was still out there somewhere, plotting his revenge against the CPD, as long as Jay was still in the hospital and still not out of danger... yeah, he would be constantly on her mind. And not in a way that made her feel _in love._

The moment she opened her front door, the phone in her pocket started to ring.

_Jay, _was the first thing that shot to her head, making her heart beat faster than it had just a few seconds ago. With trembling hands she managed to pull the phone out of her pocket, still standing in the doorway of her apartment.

But it wasn't Kim calling her to hell her there was something wrong.

It wasn't someone from the CPD at all.

For a brief moment, Erin wasn't sure if she should pick up. It would make things only more complicated, and she couldn't use _more complicated _right now.

She closed her eyes, only for a second, trying to catch her breath and force her heartbeat to slow down again. For her to relax again, even if it was only just a little bit.

The last thing she wanted was to sound tense on the phone, she didn't want to make the wrong impression – if she hadn't done so already...

"Agent Lang..."

She tried to smile, when she answered the phone, even though he couldn't see her and it was nowhere near a genuine smile.

"Miss Lindsay, I know you probably didn't expect me to call at this time of day, but I've heard some very upsetting news. Something about a Chicago Detective getting shot?"

Erin had no idea how he'd heard. He probably had his contacts and... he was more or less waiting for her arrival. It wasn't exactly a surprise he kept an eye on her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I should've called you already, but... It's my partner. Well, old partner. He's been shot this morning and I can't leave things like this."

There was no immediate answer on the other end of the line, so instead she spoke up again.

"So I guess I'm asking for a couple more days. I need to... catch this guy. I need to be here for my partner. I just hope you can understand that."

This time, agent Lang did answer her. And in a way she didn't expect.

"All right, I can understand. Don't hesitate to reach out in case you need any help."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. Really. Make sure you get the guy, so you can come work for me."

"Thank you."

She ended the call with a strange feeling in her gut, not entirely sure of what just had happened. She'd half expected him to fire her before she'd even started her new job, but instead he'd offered her the resources of the feds.

After she'd put her phone back into her pocket and closed the door behind her, she shook her head and made her way to her bedroom, where she collected her things as soon as possible.

It had taken her longer to come back down because of that interrupting phone call, but when she walked out of her building, Voight was still waiting for her. Of course he was.

Erin opened the door and tossed her bag onto the backseat, before she slid into her own seat, buckling her seatbelt again.

"You have everything?"

She nodded, rushing her fingers through her curly darkblonde hair.

"Including a delayed start at my new job."

Voight started the engine, but before he drove off he gave her a look, one of his eyebrows raised high, waiting for an explanation.

And so she gave him one. She told him about the call and that Lang had offered her help. Help she wouldn't take for granted if they couldn't find Vito on their own. At this point, Erin would do anything to get this over with.

All she wanted was for Jay to be safe again. And he wouldn't be as long as Vito was still out there. God, she felt like a broken record player, repeating the same thing over and over again in her head. As if it was some sort of mantra she lived by. Well... she kind of did. Until they'd caught they guy, that was.

"Come on, let's get you home. We could both use some sleep."

* * *

><p>The next morning, when her alarm went off around 6, Erin was glad that she'd decided to tag along with Voight. He still had a spare room she could use, and after two glasses of whiskey, he'd sent her to bed. She felt like a teenager again, being back here.<p>

But it felt good. It felt familiar. And right now she could use a little familiar.

She'd decided to check up on Jay before she went to the station, there was no way in hell she was going to leave him all by himself in the hospital. Not now he was finally awake again.

After she got dressed, she went downstairs to find Hank at the breakfast table, drinking his coffee and eating some scrambled eggs. _That _was familiar as well.

"Scrambled eggs a la Voight," she grinned, sitting down across from him, pouring herself a cup of coffee while he filled her a plate with breakfast.

"A trip down memory lane never hurts, right?"

"Depends what lane you're on," Erin answered, putting both of her hands around the mug to keep them warm. After all, it was still pretty early and she'd only just gotten out of bed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. How'd you sleep?"

"Mwah," she shrugged, taking a sip of the hot, dark substance in her mug. "Pretty good, considering the circumstances."

They both ate their breakfast in silence, there really was nothing to say at the moment. Erin didn't want to talk about her transfer to that new task force, and there would be plenty of time to talk about the case once they were out of the house and back in the field.

She'd almost finished her breakfast, when Voight spoke up.

"So you and Jay, huh?"

It was the first time he'd really addressed it. Sure, he'd mentioned it before, more or less, when she was worried about Jay's condition or when she wanted to go to the hospital… But this was the first time he really said something about their relationship.

"Yep, me and Jay," she replied, nodding, picking her mug up off the table again. What did he expect her to say? That it wasn't going to last? Because she was sure as hell going to try to make it last.

"How long has this been going on?"

He didn't sound judgmental, not at all. He was just… curious. Like a father who was genuinely interested in his daughter's romantic life. It brought a smile to her face, and even though it was just a small one, it was a _real _one.

"For a while, I guess. Well, we've never done something when we were still working together. I mean… we both liked each other, a lot. Jay is one of my closest friends, I trust him with my life. He's one of the few person I'd go to when there's something going on with me. And it's the same the other way around. Jay trusts _me _with his life, and his problems. It just… works."

Voight nodded, getting up of his chair and picking up his plate and mug to put it in the dishwasher.

"Let's go pay him a visit, then. I think he can use one."

Erin smiled, again a real one, and got up as well to clean up her stuff. That was all she wanted at this moment, going to the hospital to see Jay again, to talk to him and to see his beautiful blue eyes.

* * *

><p>The moment the elevator doors opened and she stepped out onto the hallway, only a few metres away from Jay, she felt better. Maybe it was weird, but only being here and knowing that everything was still okay and that he was doing better, already made her day.<p>

Voight promised to wait outside, so she could greet him first, and she agreed. Even though she gladly would spend the entire day here in the hospital, she knew she couldn't. Not just because he still needed to rest, but also because _she _couldn't. She needed to be out there, doing something to catch the bastard who'd put Jay in here in the first place.

She knocked on the door a couple of times, before she gently pushed it open and slipped into the room, closing the door behind her again.

Jay was still asleep and a broad smile crept up on her. He looked so much better than yesterday. His face had gained some color and his chest was rising up and down on a steady pace. He was breathing normally. Even the monitors they'd attached him to didn't scare her anymore. Jay was doing better and he would okay in a couple of days. She felt it.

The chair she'd sat in yesterday was still standing close to his bed, and so she sat down, taking his hand into hers, smiling at him, waiting for him to wake up.

It didn't take long for him to realize there was someone there with him in the room. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and the moment he saw her, his face lit up.

"Hey," she said, greeting him.

"Hey," he answered, still not sounding quite like himself.

"I'm glad to see you're awake again."

"Don't you mean, disturbed? Because five seconds ago I was still asleep…"

She knew he was teasing her, and that only made her happier. He was being himself again. His old self. The self she loved so much.

Softly, she squeezed his hand.

"Take that as a punch to the shoulder."

"What, you're too scared to punch me now?"

She laughed, shaking her head.

"Geez, Jay, you're so funny."

They both looked up – sorta – when the door of his room opened, and Voight poked his head around the corner. He seemed just as relieved as she did, to see Jay alive and well.

"Good to see you're no longer in a coma, Halstead. Make sure you get better, okay? Let us handle the rest."

Jay nodded. "Sure thing, boss. It's not like I can do anything right now but… I leave things in your very capable hands."

"Good. Erin, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there."

Voight left again and Erin got up, focusing on Jay again. God, he was so beautiful. Even when he was all bruised and battered and lying pretty much helpless in a hospital bed, recovering from a shot wound. But then again, she was pretty much attracted to him all of the time, she just couldn't help it.

"Seems like I gotta go again. You go get some more sleep, okay?"

"Oh, you just woke me up for five seconds and then tell me to go back to sleep again? That's so nice of you, Erin."

They both laughed and she shook her head.

"Don't act like you're not happy to see me."

"You know I am."

"Hmhmmm…"

She brought her head to his and kissed him softly on the lips, enjoying that small moment before she had to leave again. It felt horrible to leave him here alone, but she had no other choice.

"If you want some company, Burgess and Roman can be here any minute to take over their shift again. Just call a nurse and have them sent in."

"Sure thing… Now go be my knight in shining armor and save my ass from that drug dealing homicidal maniac."

Erin grinned and nodded. "Sure thing," she repeated his words, before she turned around and left his room, closing the door behind her again.

"What's up?" she asked Voight, as soon as she spotted him.

"Antonio just called me. He and the others have tracked down the building Vito took the pictures from. Fortunately, there was a streetcam on the other side of the road. We've got him on film, so we know for sure it was him."

"And?"

There had to be an 'and'. There just had to be. Having Vito on tape would proof that he was still after Jay, but it didn't tell them anything about his whereabouts. And they _needed _something about his whereabouts, and soon.

"He drove a car there," Voight said.

Erin's heart skipped a beat. A car meant possibly a plate. A plate meant another address.

"And?"

"They're tracking down the plates right now."

"We need to go."

"Yeah, we do."


End file.
